My friends are beautiful, sexy and outgoing. I’m dark, plump and plain. The total opposite. Whenever I’m with them, I stand out like a sore thumb.

I’m always comparing myself to my friends. They seem like they’ve got it so easy. They always get compliments on their looks. Or they’re getting top marks in school tests. I just don’t measure up.

I’ve spoken to my mother about how I feel. She tries to comfort me by telling me we weren’t all made to be the same. The world would be boring if we weren’t different and unique. She encourages me to focus on what’s unique about me and the kind of future I want to live.

She says beauty is short-lived and can bring its own heartache. She says some pretty girls feel like no one will take them seriously. They also get judged on their looks. They’re told they can’t be pretty and smart!

Sometimes I think my mom says these things just to make me feel better. It’s hard to feel happy when I don’t feel I measure up. But I’m trying, each day, to just learn to be ok with who I am and what I look like.

Society and friends can judge us by the way we look. You may even judge yourself more harshly. It can be bruising. This reader’s mom is right, looks aren’t everything. Everyone has value and something special about them.