Come on, show 'em what you're worth

[afterr__hours]

So, "Firework" by Katy Perry is currently on repeat, and after having watched the video, I keep thinking about what it really means to be one of the people who have huge physical or emotional (or some combination of both) barriers that suppress them and prevent them from being "free." I grew up in LA; not just LA, but one of the wealthy suburbs of LA. It wasn't really common to find people who deviate from what is considered "beautiful" or "normal." Most people I'd come across were gorgeous, with perfect teeth/face/hair/clothes/whatever, had perfect relationships, and honestly, they seemed pretty sure of what they wanted in life. I'm sure that's not the case in most places - I've always heard and seen that LA is an exception and almost every Los Angeles resident feels pressured to participate in this constant strive for perfection and prosperity. It makes sense - we live in the film capital of the world, and perhaps we're more subject to all the media's portrayals of personal success. It just makes it seem more tragic when someone finds himself or herself diagnosed with cancer, or the victim of a terrible, scarring accident. Even the people who DID seem perfect to me probably have personal problems I am totally blind to - maybe their parents are going through a divorce, or their boyfriend/girlfriend abuses/cheats on them - i don't know. The point is, we all have things that stop us from being happy and FEELING free or empowered.

So what then? What do you do to make yourself feel like you are a person again - that the world and everyone in it is open to you? I honestly don't know. Katy Perry's solution to "ignite the light and let it shine...just own the night, like the fourth of july" seemed just slightly vague, BUT maybe there is no other solution then to rely on the people who love you for support and GO for it - balls to the walls.