I am seventeen years old and a senior in high school. I’m happy this is my last year, but I have a body and I am built, but that’s not enough to people. I’m invisible, and people call me names at school. I don't want that. I want people to treat me how I treat them!!  Everybody says I’m ugly and this and that…I want to just run away and never come back here.....I don't have what all the other people see in other girls, and I just want people to see me for me and not what I have!! What should I do?

Most of the seventeen year old girls I know feel just like you do. No matter what, there is a sense of never measuring up—and even if you manage to measure up in one area, not in another. It seems like a no-win situation. And I also know that once you get out of high school that all starts to change. That is why college is often such an amazing and transformative experience—you can shed that narrow mindedness and begin to define yourself on your own terms. I also think that you have to find outlets that get you away from feeling stuck—like joining a club or a sports team not associated with your school. It's great to have other communities to draw support from.
 
I know this year might seem like eternity, but have faith that things will look brighter soon.

—Amy