Feeling happy about how you look can help you to feel confident. It's normal to worry about the way you look sometimes. Especially as you grow and go through puberty.
There can be a lot of pressure to look a certain way and fit in with everyone else. Sometimes you can be hurt or affected by what others think and say.
You might be feeling unhappy about your hair, skin colour or your weight or embarrassed about wearing glasses or braces. It can be hard to accept how you look if you feel pressure to have "perfect" skin or a certain type of body shape.
Your confidence can improve by not comparing yourself to people you see in films, music videos and magazines. Remember that these images aren't real and no one is perfect.
Sometimes other people can bully you, comment on how you look or treat you unfairly. You could be told what to wear or someone could try to make you look more like them. No one should make you feel bad about yourself. In healthy relationships other people will accept you as you are.
5 things to help you feel better
It can be really hard if you're bullied because of the way you look. Being called names or being treated badly because of your appearance, race, culture or sexuality is wrong.
Being bullied or discriminated against can make you want to change things about yourself. Racial bullying might make you want to wear make up to change your skin tone. You might want to be older, taller, shorter, straight or able-bodied to try to stop being bullied.
Remember, you don't have to change anything about yourself to fit in. Getting support so that the bullying can stop can help you to feel okay about yourself.
You could:
they say stuff about my
body shape
Your identity is made of lots of things. It includes your race, ethnicity, gender, disability, how you look, your strengths and weaknesses and your likes and dislikes. All of these together make up who you are and how others see you. Your identity makes you distinct from every other person.
Being connected with other people because of characteristics like your skin colour, where you were born and your gender is also part of your identity. You might belong to a faith or religion or a group based on politics, music or the clothes you wear. It's okay to connect with people who are different from you as well and it doesn't stop you being unique.
Sometimes people make generalisations and assumptions based on your characteristics or the groups you belong to. This is called stereotyping and it can be type of discrimination. If you are being treated differently for who you are you can get advice about discrimination.
Remember that you are individual and unique. Getting to know yourself and accepting who you are can help you to feel safe in the world and less threatened by others.
Be yourself
