Persuasive Speech About Self Identity

“Remember always that you not only have the right to be an individual, you have an obligation to be one.” – Eleanor Roosevelt. These are some very wise and empowering words, I must say. I believe many teenagers in today’s generation are most of the time wearing a mask. A mask that is made up of what the world wants them to be, a mask that they think may protect them from not allowing others in, a mask that was built from peer pressure, a mask that was formed from bullying. There’s always a story behind someone’s mask, as I call it. Most of the time teens nowadays are afraid to be themselves, to be individuals, due to the way they think people will perceive them. I do have to say though, that those that have ripped their masks away are the ones that have truly become individuals. Of course,

I was so self-conscious and honestly never thought much of myself; all I knew were the negatives. But I was always nice to everyone though, that was an important thing to me. I believed that if I was nice eventually they would stop with the bullying; this is something I would always say to myself to keep my hopes up. I was surprised though when I began high school; it felt as if everyone had totally forgot about how they would pick on me, it took all this for me to finally realize that I shouldn’t have let that happen to me. It was Friday, December 21, 2012 that I was lying in my room going through my thoughts that I finally asked myself why I don’t feel confident. It was the day I realized that I’m gorgeous, intelligent, and wise and that I shouldn’t think any less and if that anybody had anything to say otherwise I wouldn’t care. It took me all those years of bullying to finally feel genuinely happy, and secure with who I am now and to finally rip that mask off and embrace me. I thank my bullies actually because without them Chisom Stella Okafor wouldn’t be like