When Am I Going To “Glo Up?”

We all know the pivotal makeover scene in teen movies where the quiet, nerdy/dorky girl is suddenly transformed to catch the eye of the most popular guy in school.  Nowadays the term we use for this transformation is “Glo’ing up” or “Glo Up.”  People are changing drastically in their appearance and it seems to be happening for all ages.  From young girls “glo’ing up” in high school or young women “glo’ing up” in their early twenties, people are becoming their ethereal selves with the help of puberty, makeup, exercise, and clothing.

Obviously I’ve drastically changed from how I looked when I was 12 to now at 20 (thank god).  I’ve had braces, started wearing contacts, got past my obsession with wearing sequins and glitter clothing all the time, and have finally found a hairstyle that I think fits me.  And yet, I still have my days where I feel like I’m getting uglier?

In comparison to how other twenty-year-old girls look, sometimes I feel like I’m not up to par.  Over the summer I felt pretty confident in my appearance and my clothing.  I wasn’t comparing myself to others, just continued to work on myself.  Now once I step on campus, I revert back to seeing how other girls around me look and instantly hating what I’m wearing and how my face looks.  Some might say it’s good to be inspired by others and use it as a way to better yourself, but it seems that no matter what I do I’m just not satisfied.  It feels like everyone around me is glo’ing up and I’m remaining the same.

Will I ever get past this feeling and will I ever have my “glo up” moment?  I know it’s bad to want verification from your peers, but sometimes it would be nice for someone who may have seen you at your worst, be like, “Wow you’ve really changed.”  Sure, my parents have said it, their friends have said it, and the relatives you see every five years have said it.  Guess who never says it, people my own age (other than my friends).

Maybe all it takes is what everyone loves to constantly repeat, “you have to love yourself before others can love you.”  I guess that means I have to continue working on loving myself and appreciating my own “glo up” before others can.  My quest to officially have my “glo up” will be challenging and costly, but I’m willing to do it in the name of science and for my own personal vanity.

All I ask it that I have my Tai moment in Clueless where everyone turns their head at my transformation, is that too much to ask for?

Lots of love,

Janelle