Dear Teenage (tweens) Girls (and boys),

I saw on the news that some girls (and I'm sure boys) are posting pictures and videos online asking complete strangers if they are pretty or ugly. I'm a little sad and upset by this for many reasons but mainly: Why do you care what a stranger thinks?

You may think you're getting an unbiased answers and while some may actually do so and be honest about it, there are way more people online who will say negative things just for the sake of saying negative things, especially when they are hidden behind a computer and screen name.

Teens, it's rough growing up. I'm sure you can talk to anyone over the age of 20 and hear horror stories about bullies and plain old nasty people. It's sad, truly, but this is part of the world we have to live with every day. What you don't have to live with, however, is letting it affect you negatively.

I was a chubby kid and plump teenager. I was one of those girls who people said "You have such a pretty face" or "Your eyes are beautiful", and sure, it was nice getting compliments, but in truth, they were just empty and round about ways for people to say "You're different than the norm".

I'll have to go back one day and scour my diaries to see if I can pinpoint why and when it happened, but sometime in the 11th or 12th grade, I stopped caring what people thought about me. I stopped trying to fit the "norm". I stopped wearing make up and doing my hair like everyone else. I stopped wearing the trendy things everyone else had. I started dressing the way I wanted and didn't paying attention to people making comments about me.

I can tell you, it wasn't easy, but it made my last year or so in High School better. Unless you happen to be one of the genetically blessed people or have a ton of money, you're probably not going to be super hot in High School, and you know what, good! You don't want to peak too soon, do you? Leave that for your 20's :-)

More importantly, I just want to let you know that who you are on the inside will ALWAYS be worth more than what you look like on the outside. It really is true. When you meet people and make new friends, they will become more attractive to you if they are a good person who you want to be around, and the same will happen for you. What is pretty or attractive to one person, is not the same for another.

No one in this world is perfect. Even the people you think are the hottest looking people out there will tell you something about themselves they'd like to change or show you pictures of when they weren't as hot or attractive.

Be yourself, better yourself if you want, but don't look outside for approval, find it within first, then you won't care what the rest of the world thinks because you'll know you're totally worth it.