“As memorable as schooling can be, the phase can sometimes become the breeding ground for various degrees of judgement and bullying. Influenced majorly by social media, with very less exposure to the real world, students often have a stereotypical mindset on how people should be and are rarely accepting of any differences.

But that’s where the problem arises, for every single person is in fact, vastly different! Now in my life specifically, I saw the judgement stem for how thin I was, communicating in English, and even for having a dialect. While it might all sound silly and almost exaggerated, this is a real snapshot into the level of scrutiny there exists.

Today, almost every second kid in school is taunted by some form of unspoken criticism, eventually resulting in a generation of overthinking fragile individuals. And as elusive as the idea is, the need to be popular and fit in is, unfortunately, a major reason contributing to this.

It reflected in my journey too, when despite proving my abilities constantly, many opportunities closed, for I wasn’t ‘that popular kid’, who was accepted by all. In fact, for a long period, I struggled to make genuine friends, despite being outgoing due to the lack of acceptance. Adding further to the frustration was the disapproval I face at every step, for simply being myself with all my traits and quirks. And all this somewhere did silently kill my sense of innocence, whilst spiraling into deeper inner turmoil.

Luckily, what helped me cope were my hobbies. Having a writer for a mother, the skill came naturally to me, and it was my biggest outlet for venting out all the emotional baggage dormant within. It fuelled the courage to express everything I was going through.

Now an area I try focusing on is body positivity. Skinny shaming being as much a reality as fat-shaming, I want to do my bit to contribute to its curb. Thankfully enough, I noticed my words gradually resonate with others while enabling them to unlearn certain concrete perceptions on life. Though this is just a small step, I’m happy with the direction it’s heading towards. Going ahead, I look forward to tap into such normalized stigmas in the hope of creating a healthy environment to coexist in.”

#School #Bullying #Acceptance #Life #Society #People #BodyShaming #Criticism #Journey #Struggle #Friends #Emotions #Courage #BodyPositivity #Hope #Environment #Coexist #Madras #HumansofMadras