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Hellooo, everybody! We're doing things a little differently today, no writing tips.
Today we're talking about life. As you all know, a lot of people come to me for writing advice,
which I'm happy to oblige. But most people who hit me up usually end up sticking around and talking
to me long after the writing advice is over. Why? Because I’m super fun to talk to, duh. But through
all these conversations with all these very different people, there has been one topic that's
come up with virtually everyone I've spoken to. And it seems especially relevant, given the Oscars
over the weekend, so let's just dive in. Over the years, a lot of people have been telling me that
they feel really bad about themselves. They're loners, they have no friends, no one understands
them, no one likes them. Basically, they feel like a total weirdo. Let's talk about this, okay. Now
most people who come to me with this complaint are other writers, which is totally reasonable.
Most writers are introverts, and most introverts consider themselves to be loners. They're also
usually between the ages of 15 to 45, which also makes sense. It's especially difficult to be a
weirdo when you're young. There's an immense amount of pressure to fit in, and be normal,
or cool. And when you're just not naturally cool, when every fiber of your being is like, ‘hey,
I'm a weirdo’ fitting in is almost impossible. And then when you stand out, it's almost always
treated as a negative thing. And you're humiliated for it, which fucking sucks. The result is,
you feel bad about yourself. You feel unwanted and unaccepted, and you kinda just wanna crawl into a
hole and die. Am I getting this right? I'm hearing this a lot from so many different people. And it's
usually accompanied by a level of shame. Like, people are ashamed to tell me this. They think
that for whatever reason, I don't understand. Like, I'm above all this and I can't relate. Well,
I'm here to tell you folks, I can fucking relate. I can relate so hard, it's a little gross. I know
it's hard to believe, but this girl right here, in the shirt with the tiny Pegasus and the Kraken,
was not popular or well liked growing up. When I was like 11 to 15 years old,
I pretty much had no friends. It was one of the biggest nerds at my school. I was unattractive. I
had big hair. Glasses, braces, acne. I had zero body fat. Puberty done fucked me up, and I was
bullied a lot. People would call me anorexic and throw their food at me because I was so skinny.
Boys would tell me I wasn't a real woman because I didn't have curves. They started making up
rumors I was a man, they threatened to rape me. Girls would just tell me to go kill myself. And
it wasn't just the way I looked. Just everything about me was not conventionally cool. Other kids
were talking about Justin Timberlake and Leonardo DiCaprio at lunch, and I wanted to write stories
and poems, and draw mermaids in my notebook. Other kids were good at sports and dancing,
and socializing. I was the kid with the crazy high IQ, who was good at school. A geek in other words.
Nothing about me was normal, and the world let me know it. It was literally the worst time of
my life. I was depressed. Definitely suicidal. All that fun stuff. And it was just really hard for me
to deal with the fact that everything that I felt was natural and real about myself, was considered
wrong, and awful, and unlovable to literally everyone I came into contact with. So basically,
I hear what you guys are saying. I completely get it. People are mean. They fucking suck. But what
I want you to know more than anything else, is that will change. They will change on their own,
but also through your own effort and state of mind. But they will change, it will get better.
Problem is, probably won’t happen until you’re an adult. And here is why. When you’re a teenager,
everyone is desperately trying to fit in. Everyone wants to be cool, and in order to be cool,
you have to be normal. But once you become an adult, it’s a completely different story. Suddenly
everyone wants to be different. Everyone wants to be special. Almost overnight, being weird becomes
an asset. Your weirdness will get you noticed in a positive way. It’ll open doors for you.
It’ll get you dates. It’ll get you jobs. So while everyone else is desperately searching for ways to
be different and special, guess what, us weirdos already have it down. We’re already special,
because we're fucking weird by nature. We've been standing out our whole lives just for
being who we are, and it fucking sucked, until now. Now we shine. It is our time. And by now,
I mean once you’re an adult. Which is now for me, but it might be the future for you, you get
what I’m saying. As an adult, us weirdos fucking run shit. So own your weirdness. Own it. Own the
shit out of it. Walk into a room and be like “Hey I'm here. I'm a freak, and I'm fabulous!”
Because you are, whether other people recognize it or not, they will one day. With all that said,
it doesn't mean I don't still have moments of insecurity, I totally do. There are days when I
feel like a dumbass, there are days when I feel depressed. And no matter how old you get, there
will still be haters, there will always be haters. But the difference between myself as a teenager,
and myself now is that one, overall I'm sure of who I am. Two, I’m happy with who I am. Three, I
no longer let the fear of other people’s opinions dictate how I live my life. It hurts to be judged,
but honestly, I just don’t care all that much if you judge me or think I’m uncool. Fuck you, you’re
uncool. If you don't appreciate how insanely awesome I am, then clearly there's something
wrong with you. So all in all, what the hell is my point here? My point is, to all the weirdos
out there in internet land. First of all, you're not alone. I’ve lost count of the number of people
who've come to me and said: no one gets me, and no one likes me. I get you, and I like you, okay.
And my opinion is super meaningful, because as we've already covered, I'm awesome. Second of all,
the shit you're going through, it'll pass. One day the things that make you feel ostracized are
instead going to be celebrated, if not by other people, then should at least be celebrated by
you. Our quirks and eccentricities are usually our best traits. They make us special, they make us
unique little butterflies. So if you're a hardcore weirdo, and people are making you feel bad for it,
I know it sucks. It's incredibly painful. But don't let them change you. And my last point is:
be confident. Stop living your life trying to please other people. They're all assholes anyway,
like dirty, hairy, puckered assholes. All of ‘em. Live your life for you. It won't be easy. It'll
be crazy hard. But one day it won't be, one day people will appreciate you in all of your weird
glory. Because that's what you are my friend, weird and glorious. So that's all I have for
you today. Thanks for humoring this little tough love, heart to heart. It just makes me sad to hear
all these people going through the same shit that I went through. The things that make us different,
make us special. And on that note, awkward transition moment, subscribe to my channel.
I post videos on Wednesdays. They're usually about writing, this one isn't,
but I do what I want. And as always, if you have any questions or if there's something you'd like
me to talk about in my next video, you can leave me a comment or tweet me @JennaMoreci! Bye!