please use your eyes, mind, and heart to read this post.

Judgement is something that can't be avoided: you do it, I do it, even Obama does it. It's simply a quality that comes with thinking, and having opinions. But it's ridiculous that people can't do or wear anything without being judged. More specific than that: teenagers. We are constantly judging each other and being thrown into stereotypes: You wear nice clothes? You're trying too hard. You like black? You're emo and depressed. You like reading? You're a geek. You've had sex? You're a slut. People categorize us, and dish us out into groups based on everything we do. Girls can't get away with going to Starbucks anymore without being called a 'Typical White Girl'. So, what do I hunger for? I hunger for us to be able to look at each other, and see people: not stereotypes, not their stomachs sticking out over their jeans, just people. I want us to see how nice their smile is, how interesting they are to have a conversation with, how pretty they look in a certain top or color. I hunger for us to want to be people, not barbie dolls, and I hunger for that to not just be encouraged but truly accepted. We say so much these days that we think will make a difference in people's minds about judgement and stereotypes, but we don't take much of it to heart. The kids who tell you to love yourself could very well be crying themselves to sleep at night. The ones who tell you to be happy could be trying to convince themselves to be happy, too. Before I punch a wall, I conclude this piece with hopes that you not only heard me, but you listened. I hope you, too, hunger for us to accept one another, and just make peace with our brains so that when we JUDGE people, because it's bound to happen, we also SEE them. Because you never know, you might like what you see.