A common trend in our generation is the search for love—the endless desire to have someone’s arms wrapped around us or someone we can call late at night. There is a persistent yearning to be validated and acknowledged in a non-platonic way. But where exactly does this desire come from? 

  I believe it is our nature. To be beguiled, to be wooed, after all, isn’t that who we are?  This sort of wish has plagued everyone around me, and I am surely included in such a demographic. It can be attributed to our consumption of media that fed us this idea our whole lives from Disney Channel movies to scrolling on social media. The love songs we hear and the romance books at any library or bookshop all fuel this. We have been taught that it’s something that everyone experiences in their high school years, but what if you’re one of those “unlucky” few? Those left with a sense of loneliness, which turns into longing. 

I’ve heard my friends worry about such things when they are incredibly witty, kind, and beautiful. I see them sitting across from each other, each wondering what is “wrong” with them. What is it that makes them unworthy of this privilege? Though it can be frustrating to hear, it is important to know the truth: it’s nothing at all. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be loved romantically- but don’t let it define you. The validation of others, or lack thereof, does not affect your worth. 

To all the beautiful souls reading and worried they may never experience love, you have time and your four high school years doesn’t define you. I understand this can be hard to believe when it seems everyone else is falling in love, but you have a whole life in front of you. Whether someone has a simple crush on you or not, you are still just as valuable. You are still as beautiful, still as kind a person as you always have been and will be.