Who are you? If you cannot promptly answer that question, you do not have a comprehensive view of who you are, who you want to be, or what your purpose is in life. Having a clear picture of yourself is essential in not only relationships, but self confidence and growth as an individual. It is impossible to reach where you are going when you are clueless of where you remain, just as it is impossible to be who you want when you are uncertain of who you are.

High school is the so-called time to discover your true identity and the place you will hold in the world around us. As you write the next chapter of your life, you are ultimately deciding how you are going to leave your mark on the world and the people that reside within it.

As you grow older and more independent, your peers naturally play a greater role in your life. It is common for people to identify with and compare themselves to their peers as they choose who they wish to be. People are influenced by their peers because they want to fit in; they want to do what others are doing, they want to have what others have, and they want to act how others act. Self tranquility and peace of mind become impossible objectives to attain when living by others’ rules. Many will find it less stressful to mold themselves into accordance to what seems most acceptable- following the footsteps along the beaten path.

“Nobody ever likes getting judged,” junior Karly Monaco said. “Their solution is to change themselves to be more like the people around them so they can fit in and be liked.”

Leading up to Junior year, Karly Monaco has found herself looking through the eyes of a mask. A mask that weighed more than the grief she held upon her back. Day in and day out, she looked in the mirror and watched as her true identity faded into the shadow of the mask. A mask that society thrusted upon her face with the sole meaning of hiding the fact that she was different from everyone else.

“I knew that I was different because some days, I was fine with being completely silent,” Monaco said.

Monaco thought that high school was a time she could uncover her true identity before stepping out the doors of Antioch Community High School. However, she never expected the whispers that would echo against the walls around her. The white walls that would begin to enclose, forcing her to conform to the blankness of social norms.

High schoolers can no longer choose who they want to be because they are covered by the mask that society has plastered on their face. Society has created a way for individuals to hide themselves in order to escape the judgement that follows being yourself: lipstick. You can put lipstick on a pig, but that doesn’t mean it won’t remain a pig. You can let conformity take over your body, but that doesn’t mean that you aren’t the same person you were yesterday or your whole life. In this world, no one has the right to tell you how your are supposed to feel, who you are supposed to like, what you are supposed to love, or where you are going to go in life. Lipstick is used to fit into the crowd where acceptance and happiness are at odds.

The masks that people wear are real. The existence of these masks can be seen in a fake laugh that explodes from the person who is trying to look good in front of his/her superiors. It’s in the girl that tries to look skinny or has to wear makeup every day just to be accepted physically into society. It’s in the people who choose to still wear a smile after stepping outside the closed door. It’s in hundreds of people when their hearts are breaking but they seem to be “fine.”

If you always try to please others, you will find it impossible to please yourself. The worst lies that people tell, are the ones told to their own heart. People are constantly living in denial of who they truly are because of fear. Don’t let society put a mask on your face. High school is the time to find yourself. So, when you wake up tomorrow, are you going to meet the world in your mask? It’s time to take it off.