The Bowie theme this year is #positivebowie to remind and keep students on a positive route. There will a series of #positvebowie stories about positive points students struggle with, this first one is a tale of a girl’s struggle with positive self image.

A positive self image is an important trait for modern youth to learn and have. Many high school students have issues with self esteem and self worth. They have trouble connecting with their peers and often view themselves negatively.

Junior Katy Darwin is one such student who has struggled with keeping a positive self image and positive mind. When she began high school is when she struggled most with her image.

“When I was a freshman I was having a lot of problems with my self esteem,” Darwin said. “Being in performing arts since I was a kid I felt weird and out of place without a full face of makeup on. I just liked to look my best and over do it all the time, and that was just really bad for me.”

Many teenage girls think they need makeup to be beautiful or attractive. Many girls feel like they need to impress others and wear a full face of makeup everyday. Some wake up hours in advance every morning to get ready on time.

“A lot of the times I would be waking up at ridiculous hours in the morning so I could get ready, so I could look nice, so I could be prepared,” Darwin said. “It was putting a strain on my school work too because I was falling asleep in class and I was losing focus or just not paying attention because I was too focused on how I looked.”

Getting up at 5 in the morning to do makeup and get ready can be very bad on your physical and mental health. Getting so little sleep can cause you to feel weak and unfocused. Students who don’t get enough rest and suffer from poor self image are more likely to be depressed and possibly suicidal. This kind of strain was detrimental to Katy’s well being.

“At the end of freshman year is when I really got more involved in theater here at Bowie and I met a couple of girls who were there for me when I was feeling down,” Darwin said. “When I was feeling bad about how I looked they were there to lift me up and remind me that I don’t need to impress anyone. I just need to make myself happy and I am beautiful without makeup.”

Finding people who make you feel better about yourself and your state of being can be the most helpful thing. Find a class, sport or activity that can be a very useful outlet for all of that negative energy. You are beautiful. You are worth it.