Loving yourself / Gaining confidence

In middle school i had no self confidence once so ever. Some people don't understand why girls get so insecure, but it mainly has to do with not feeling good enough. Somedays I used to look in the mirror and just point out everything that i saw wrong with me, my mistake was that i didn't see everything i liked about myself. Starting in 9th grade my confidence shot up, i just learned to love myself instead of tearing myself down. Now i'm the most confident I've ever been, i'm not conceited but i definitely love myself. I've had days where i hated myself and sometimes i still get insecure, but i've learned ways to get through that. Every teenage girl is bound to have insecurities, it's completely normal. Whether you are insecure about your weight, your face or even your personality, there are ways to learn how to love yourself. Once you learn to love yourself you will be comfortable in your own skin. Teenage girls are insecure due to the fear of being judged by society and their pressure to be perfect. You should always stay true to who you are. You shouldn't have to try to be perfect, because you're already perfect in your own way somehow. Never compare yourself to anyone else, other girls are pretty in their own way, just as well as you are yourself. Seeing models in magazines that wear a size 0 and seem to have flawless faces can sometimes make you feel less of yourself. You might have the urge to compare yourself to them and believe that that's what you need to look like in order to be perfect. But who you are is just fine. You've got to learn to accept who you are. We all have flaws but we should learn to love them. If you ever feel insecure just look your favorite picture of yourself, or point out something you like about yourself, instead of focusing on the negative things. Instead of tearing yourself down, look in the mirror, smile and give yourself a compliment. If there is something about yourself that you want to change then that's fine, whether it is your weight or maybe it's the way you interact with others. If it makes you happy and you believe that it will benefit you overall, then that's okay. But there's a difference between switching up your style or appearance and pretending to be someone you're not. If you want to change your look then make sure it's for you, no one else. Do it because YOU want to, not because you think people will like you more because of it. No one should tell you who you should be, or make you feel like who you are isn't good enough. I know sometimes it's hard to follow your heart, but you'll get there.