I worked hard to be accepted by the fashion community in ways beyond my physical appearance. In no time, though, I found myself surrendering to the industry's approval process. I felt like I needed validation from everyone. As a result, I lost sight of myself and what it meant to be happy, what it meant to be successful.

One of the biggest issues that a lot of young people face is that they don't know how to define themselves. They get confused when they see a person who is different from them, but this is a common problem in today's society. We are taught from a young age that what we look like matters the most. Ou... r society teaches us that beauty is the ultimate factor to be considered when it comes to any aspect of our lives. There are a lot of ways that we get to define ourselves, and this is true for both our personal and professional lives.