Self-love is a scam?
A birthright to self-love. Just be you, the perfect you, and you have earned the right to love yourself, and therefore, all the rest have to as well. My questions is, why?
The media we consume in our teenage years will shape the the way we create our future. Right now that means, putting on a fake smile so big it hurts, colouring our hair into something neon, pressing play on Spotify to Lizzos ‘Juice’, and recording a short for Tik Tok of how awesome we are, and how much we love ourselves. The terms ‘‘love’’, ‘‘believe in yourself’’, ‘‘you deserve it’’ have become staples for youth in forms of mandatory journaling, or consuming meditation and gratitude apps like the air we breathe. Even worse, spending hours of precious time online, listening to different players in pop culture telling you how awesome you are for being born, and being just you. Especially in the era where inclusivity and diversity are feed to us like breakfast. In the United States, drag queen superstar RuPaul has based one of his favourite catchphrases on the concept: “If you can’t love yourself, how can you love somebody else? Can I get an amen up in here?”, is duly delivered at the end of each episode of the TV show RuPaul's Drag Race. That’s great! But others, and ultimately yourself, can’t love someone just because they are trans, straight, or gay, or white, black, latin or asian. We respect and look up to people who have achieved extraordinary things in their life, or made a difference in the society. We admire people who care for their families, and have built lasting relationships. We envy others who show us the world, or work hard to look a certain way. Love and respect can’t be demanded because we were born, or have a diversity to claim as our medal. It has to be earned, even with ourselves.
My point is this, you can’t fake self-love, even if your idols are telling you to. Why? Well what if you don’t deserve it! What if you are lazy, have no goals or discipline to work towards them, and have let the way you act or look out of control? Would you love someone else like that? Probably not, and others wouldn’t either. So why are you faking it with yourself?
I agree, that the longest and most exclusive relationship we have is with ourselves, therefore, we should build it, cherish it and sustain it. How, you ask? Make take on this is this, make yourself into the person you can sincerely love. Don’t waste your precious youth on demanding love and respect for no reason. Use these years to learn how to master discipline to build your future. Even if you don’t know yet what you want to do with your life, learn the concept of routine and hard work, so one day you can apply these skills to the extraordinary achievements you will pursue. And to the way you would like to look, and present yourself in the society.
Self-love is an awesome tool to enjoy this life in a more profound way, but only if you stop faking it. Don’t fool yourself into believing that you deseve it by being born, or having a diversity, and certainly don’t force others to follow that illusion via TikTok videos. Go out there and explore what you’re truly capable of as a human, not as a tool for todays woke world. Believe me, you have nothing to prove to them, and everything to prove to yourself!
