Kanika,15, was shopping for groceries with her mom at the store. During her visit, she encountered a salesgirl who aggressively promoted a beauty cream, insisting that Kanika needed it urgently. Feeling upset and insecure, Kanika took note of her feelings in her diary later that day.

Dear Diary, 

I went shopping today. I entered a store and a didi magically appeared before me, out of nowhere. She started telling me how much I “really need” some super expensive cream. Yaar Diary, am I not beautiful enough as I am?

She told me I have very dull skin, pimples and blackheads and buying that cream will make my skin clearer. I was tempted to buy it – but itne paise he nahi the! I told her I will come back some other day and left the store feeling ugly! 

Then I opened my Instagram and saw my favourite influencer promoting a similar cream with some weirdly pronouncing ingredients that will make your skin glow! Another ad was about a diet plan to lose weight fast! It has become too much – am I seeing these reels and ads because I am not good enough? 

So, what’s the reality? 

In all the chaos, I’m so glad that my sister Nisha always tells me the truth. She is not just my sister but my bestie too! I always tell her everything in my life and so told her what happened at the supermart today. 

She told me that using makeup, beauty products etc. is not bad in itself. But never do this to fulfil someone else’s expectations of beauty. Every person is valuable and beautiful in their own way, no matter what they look like. 

But what about film stars, I asked! How are they so flawless? Film and TV stars, and social media influencers have to work very hard to look the way they do, she said. And even then videos and photos are often edited to make them look “better” than they really do. Never compare yourself to them, Kanika. 

We can look like rotten tomatoes sometimes, but that doesn’t mean we’re “ugly”. In real life, our entire focus can’t be on how we look all the time, haina? Our happiness and confidence come from our beliefs, values, work, relationships and experiences— not from outer beauty alone! 

Accept yourself 

Sometimes it is hard to accept and like yourself as you are. But there’s nothing more important than to try, she told me!

Identify your strengths and things you like about yourself. Nobody is 100% good or bad, in reality, all of us have strengths. Sometimes they need a little encouragement to come out and show, that’s it!

So to all the girls out there – if you come across anyone who tries to belittle you or makes fun of you, take a deep breath!  it’s your right to tell them to stop. You’re not overreacting or “doing drama”.

Your body, your choice. If dressing up and going out annoys or stresses you out, then that’s okay! But if you love make-up and fashion then that’s okay too.

Follow all kinds of people on social media- beauty doesn’t come in only one package! The more you appreciate different types of beauty in different types of people- the more beauty you’ll start seeing in yourself too! 

Talk, seek help

If you are troubled by your appearance, I understand how you feel! Do reach out to a close friend, sister, counsellor or a trusted adult. Like I did! Asking for support is a superpower, not a weakness!

We must learn to talk to ourselves like we do with our closest friends. We never focus on our friends’ flaws.  If we were our BFFs, we would never doubt whether we’re beautiful! 

To dive deeper into Nisha’s life, visit Go Nisha Go. 

Check out this video to learn about positive body image and how you can feel good about your body because it’s unique, just like you! 🙂