Hormones and Harmony; Guide to Being an Awesome Teenage Girl (4)
CHAPTER 4: IDENTITY
Identity is simply knowing who you are. Sounds simple enough but we all know how hard it actually is. When you're younger, you never worry about things like who you are. Honestly, we all think that's for our parents to worry about. As you transition from childhood into adolescence, you start to gain a consciousness.
Let me explain. In your younger years, all the decision you made were instructed. Your life is basically directed by your parents or guardians. When you start to become a teenager, you develop a mind of your own. You want to do things by yourself without letting anyone tell you what to do.
How does this relate with identity? Well, Identity crisis arises from freedom. Teenagers most often think because they have gained a mind of their own and can think for themselves, they are responsible and ready for the future. Therein comes the need to know who exactly you are.
I can't directly explain Identity but I'll try my best to make you understand. Just stay with me.
In life, you would go through all sorts of situation that would make you question who you are and what your purpose is. At every stage in life you get to, every opportunity you get, you're always going to be faced with the identity question.
The trick to identity is that you can be anything you want to be. However, when you chose a specific spectrum of what you want to be, stick to it. Change is definitely the most dynamic thing in life but when the changes are too constant, you find yourself lost and your mind, severely weak.
When choosing an identity, pick the one that suits you the most. Analyse what you want, check the plausibility and make sure it's applicable to you. Another thing to consider is that you need to do this mainly by yourself. Other people's opinion is good but you tend to confuse yourself when everyone is telling you what to do. Do not conform to the public opinion of you. Just Do You.
You also need to check out the longevity of your identity. Will who you've chosen to be last you for a long time and will it benefit you? Remember, your identity is a crucial part of your life and it is imperative that identify who you are properly or risk ruining your life.
An important aspect of identity to know is Identity disorders. As I'm not a medical personnel, I would advice you to conduct research on your own. Learning and researching is always a good way to develop the perfect identity for yourself.
I'm getting to the crucial part of this chapter; what identity means to young Nigerian teenage girls like us? It's simple really. We don't get to choose who we want to be. As our male counterparts develop, they are given basic freedom to do whatsoever they choose while we are bound by tons of responsibilities as young ladies. It is something that we have hated for along time and will continue to hate.
When teenagers of both genders come of age, they both want one thing; Freedom. Why is it the despite knowing that this is what we want, we are denied of it and it is freely given to our male counterparts? It is because as a nation, male superiority is still heavily advocated for, even in this century.
In this nation, we know how much women are still seen as the lesser sex and treated as inferior. What we wear, eat, look like, do or see is still very much dictated by society. We cannot have our own identity because the right to do that has been taken from us and we are forced to abide to a way of life we don't like. Why else do you think the rate of teenage pregnancy is soaring?
When you trap a teenage girl with so little choices, she would find a ton of ways to express herself. She'll turn to sex, drinking, smoking, doing drugs and basically everything you want her not to do just to defy you and give herself the freedom you took from her.
But ladies, we know deep down this is not the way. The way simply is to fight back, not with vices or addictions, but with intelligence. Exploit the system, beat them at their own game, The first step at doing that is to find your own intelligence, only them would you find your freedom and your fulfillment.
I do hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you have any questions for me, leave it in the comment section below. Have a wonderful day.
Identity is simply knowing who you are. Sounds simple enough but we all know how hard it actually is. When you're younger, you never worry about things like who you are. Honestly, we all think that's for our parents to worry about. As you transition from childhood into adolescence, you start to gain a consciousness.
Let me explain. In your younger years, all the decision you made were instructed. Your life is basically directed by your parents or guardians. When you start to become a teenager, you develop a mind of your own. You want to do things by yourself without letting anyone tell you what to do.
How does this relate with identity? Well, Identity crisis arises from freedom. Teenagers most often think because they have gained a mind of their own and can think for themselves, they are responsible and ready for the future. Therein comes the need to know who exactly you are.
I can't directly explain Identity but I'll try my best to make you understand. Just stay with me.
In life, you would go through all sorts of situation that would make you question who you are and what your purpose is. At every stage in life you get to, every opportunity you get, you're always going to be faced with the identity question.
The trick to identity is that you can be anything you want to be. However, when you chose a specific spectrum of what you want to be, stick to it. Change is definitely the most dynamic thing in life but when the changes are too constant, you find yourself lost and your mind, severely weak.
When choosing an identity, pick the one that suits you the most. Analyse what you want, check the plausibility and make sure it's applicable to you. Another thing to consider is that you need to do this mainly by yourself. Other people's opinion is good but you tend to confuse yourself when everyone is telling you what to do. Do not conform to the public opinion of you. Just Do You.
You also need to check out the longevity of your identity. Will who you've chosen to be last you for a long time and will it benefit you? Remember, your identity is a crucial part of your life and it is imperative that identify who you are properly or risk ruining your life.
An important aspect of identity to know is Identity disorders. As I'm not a medical personnel, I would advice you to conduct research on your own. Learning and researching is always a good way to develop the perfect identity for yourself.
I'm getting to the crucial part of this chapter; what identity means to young Nigerian teenage girls like us? It's simple really. We don't get to choose who we want to be. As our male counterparts develop, they are given basic freedom to do whatsoever they choose while we are bound by tons of responsibilities as young ladies. It is something that we have hated for along time and will continue to hate.
When teenagers of both genders come of age, they both want one thing; Freedom. Why is it the despite knowing that this is what we want, we are denied of it and it is freely given to our male counterparts? It is because as a nation, male superiority is still heavily advocated for, even in this century.
In this nation, we know how much women are still seen as the lesser sex and treated as inferior. What we wear, eat, look like, do or see is still very much dictated by society. We cannot have our own identity because the right to do that has been taken from us and we are forced to abide to a way of life we don't like. Why else do you think the rate of teenage pregnancy is soaring?
When you trap a teenage girl with so little choices, she would find a ton of ways to express herself. She'll turn to sex, drinking, smoking, doing drugs and basically everything you want her not to do just to defy you and give herself the freedom you took from her.
But ladies, we know deep down this is not the way. The way simply is to fight back, not with vices or addictions, but with intelligence. Exploit the system, beat them at their own game, The first step at doing that is to find your own intelligence, only them would you find your freedom and your fulfillment.
I do hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you have any questions for me, leave it in the comment section below. Have a wonderful day.
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