We’re all beautiful!

It’s hard for teenagers everywhere to feel good about themselves. But I think it's especially hard for teenagers in Los Angeles because there is so much emphasis here on how people look.

Everywhere you go, you see billboards advertising things to make you look better – everything from weight-loss pills to teeth whitening to plastic surgery. You often see people with faces that look frozen because they've had too many chemicals injected into their skin. And you even see teenagers with fake boobs and lips. What’s going on?


Los Angeles is home to Hollywood and Hollywood promotes the idea that if you want to be happy, you have to look beautiful. I think that's a huge lie. It's way more important to have fun in life and feel good about yourself than it is to have nice skin or a cool hairstyle.

Most of the photos you see of Hollywood stars have been retouched to make them look perfect. I love this video by the cosmetic company Dove because it shows that anybody can look like a film star: