Self-love is a hot topic in all parts of the world, school settings included, as students struggle and gain the strength to find the self-love that they deserve.

There are many different definitions of what loving oneself truly means, depending on the person and their perspective.

“To me, loving yourself comes with not only being okay with who you are as a person and every part of yourself,” junior Parker Applewhite said. “But also being able to love yourself enough to be able to put yourself aside and help others to love themselves.”

The idea of perfection is a destructive goal that has never existed, however, it will always be reached for.

“I would tell myself that I’m not my own definition of perfection and that I may not have social media’s ideal body, but I am someone’s ideal,” junior Natalie Barnes said. “I may not love myself right now, but someone will come along and love me for how I am.”

Being enrolled in a school that preaches the importance of issues like this is a bit rare, and students would like to see change.

“We don’t need a whole class, necessarily, just more of a practice and conversation,” sophomore Kaitlynn Lane said. “We don’t talk about it because it’s a sensitive topic that everyone has different outlooks on, but it would definitely help to converse about it. It’s important.”

Many factors go into the idea that one isn’t capable of loving themself because of the type of person they are, or rather the type of person they aren’t (based on social views).

“I think a big factor in lack of self-love today is social media,” senior Sara Walker said. People on the internet are painted so perfectly and this gives people the idea that since they don’t look like that, something is wrong with them. This is a big issue, in my opinion, because, although it took me a while to get where I am, I can proudly say that I love myself and wouldn’t want to be anyone else.”

The importance of self-love is more than an outward appreciation of oneself, but inward appreciation as well.

“Speaking from experience, not loving yourself can get you into a bad place mentally,” junior Natalie Barnes said. Not loving yourself and wishing you were like other people, constantly comparing yourself will eventually make you feel undeserving of all positive attention. It becomes destructive and can affect relationships with everyone in your life.”