We all experience times when we lose self-confidence and berate ourselves for not being smart enough or good looking enough, for not fitting into what social media, advertising, even our own peers, tell us is the “popular” way to look and act. Experiences like these can make us shrink into ourselves, preventing us from sharing our talents and personality with those around us. The song “I Love Me” by Demi Lovato is a powerful anthem about recognizing our own self-worth and letting our light shine in spite of the people who would otherwise keep us down.
Key lines: Flipping through all of these magazines / Telling me who I’m supposed to be / Way too good at camouflage / Can’t see what I am / I just see what I’m not…./ ‘Cause I’m a black belt when I’m beating up on myself / But I’m an expert at giving love to somebody else / I, me and myself and / I, don’t see eye to / Eye, me and myself and…/I wonder when I love me is enough
Questions: What pressure do you feel to look or act a certain way? Who does the shunning in your school or community? Why? When have you challenged the status quo? What or who has helped you handle bullies in your life?