Perfect - [adj., n. pur-fikt; v. per-fekt ]– Adjective
‘Conforming absolutely to the description or definition of an ideal type, entirely without any flaws’.

Are you one of those people who can’t leave the house without putting on excess make-up to make sure it covers up all the flaws on your face? Do you worry that whenever you step on the bus you need to create this false image of yourself, so that people don’t see the real you? You try to big up your swagger and act in a way that would probably gain much more respect than if people saw you for who you really were. Perhaps, it's become so much more than just cosmetics to enhance beauty, or clothes to cover up, but rather, has become your identity. It's become a desire to be perfect. An obsession to be spotless, blameless and stainless, basing your life around what the media, your friends or even your family may want you to be.

Perfection grips so many teenage lives in London. Comments like "Every time I took off my make up, I would avoid looking at myself in the mirror’. ‘That isn’t me. have been uttered by someone at some point in their life. What is it with this word that seems to have a hold over us? What is it that makes people want to be perfect? The definition that came up of the word ‘perfect’ was conforming absolutely to the description or definition of an ideal type. Conforming to what? Could it be, a standard that has been set for what boys and girls should look like, how their lives should be?
There's the need to have the perfect skin or the perfect body figure or colour. People starve themselves, wake up at gruelling hours just to do their hair. They are scared to get on the bus because they think people will laugh at them because they're ugly. They seem prepared to go to extremes to hide who they really are ... but why? It's very easy to blame it on the media. We've heard it all before that it's what we get from television and music videos that drives us to act in certain ways, but don't we have some responsibility ourselves by making sure what we see and hear doesn't control our lives as individuals? The media has its own set of values - which are different to yours, and you have the power to decide what or who you choose to affect you negatively or positively. The decisions you make today will play a big part in your tomorrow.

The pressure to be perfect is everywhere around us. It may be the false expectations your family may have placed on you which have influenced you – because, that used to be me. I’ve always thought how perfect it would be if I had enough money to buy all the ideal clothes, if I had the perfect amount of make-up to cover up all my flaws, but what did that lead to? Spending money on things I didn’t need to impress people I thought were my 'friends'. Making sure that my opinions were acceptable, and that what I did and what I said was always right, even as extreme as laughing at the right time.

So what happens when keeping up this entirely flawless appearance fails us as we see our peers happily living their lives, free form the opinions of others? Well, we become depressed and end up asking ourselves life's ‘deep’ questions and manage to convince ourselves that we're ‘not good enough’.

We've all heard it all before, that we should be ourselves and not care what people say about us because we are beautiful just the way we are, but how many of us have actually been told that we are beautiful? And if we don't care what people say about us then why do we draw on people's perceptions of us and strive to fulfill them?

Well, let me tell you, You are beautiful, but you do not need to prove yourself by keeping up this "flawless" appearance because you'll never be satisfied. You'll end up wanting more and people who live their lives consistently wanting more and are never content end up living empty, unfulfilled lives. That is not to say you can’t have goals in life that will help with were you want to go, or that you can’t wear makeup and nice clothes. Do these things because you want to and not because you feel pressured to be something you know you don’t want to be and yet deep down inside what you really crave is acceptance.

I believe it's time to pull down the things that we have put our confidence in such as money, cosmetics, perfect body image, focusing our attention in reality TV shows which are anything but real.
This is Our reality. We're living Our lives.
Instead, build something in your life that will give you and our generation a hope. Already, in the UK, statistics show girls as young as five years of age having weight concerns, and thinking about going on a diet. 12% of 10-11 year old girls want to be thinner and two in five 11-16 year old girls have dieted. Nearly 50% of teenage girls going to secondary school would consider laser treatment, liposuction or another form of cosmetic surgery to change the way they look. Let's make sure that's not the standard we're going to set for ourselves and the generations to come. Bear in mind that, as young people, we are still growing and who know what we will look like in our twenties?  Nevertheless, learn to love yourself, once you do that, you will then learn to love and accept others regardless of what they look like or where they are from.

As teenagers, we are in the most defining time of our lives. Whatever convictions or beliefs we emerge with from this stage will be, more times than so - what maintains us for the rest of our lives. This stresses the importance to acknowledge our weaknesses, likes and dislikes - as that's what makes us unique as individuals.
I have friends who, deep down know the truth about themselves, about who they are and that's what gives them a sense of purpose in life, and that's what makes them beautiful; not the amount of makeup they wear, how much they spend on their clothes or their hair but because of the people they are inside. Their confidence in living lives that will bring hope and justice to a broken generation gives other people around them a sense of hope that they too can rise up disempower the lies spoken over them and truly be the people they are meant to be.
Trying to be perfect will leave you empty with broken dreams and a broken identity, but it doesn't have to be that way.
It’s OK to have slipping pictures on your Facebook or MySpace - to embarrass yourself or trip over - or laugh at the wrong joke or walk out of the house with your pajamas on. Yes - it's OK! It's OK to make mistakes because that's the only way we'll learn. So instead of worrying about what our peers will think, let’s join the revolution that seeks to care for the people with the greatest of needs. A revolution that seeks to allow people to step into the potential they have in their lives and see our generation live with hope and not fear, love and not denial and see them take their place to make this world a better place.