• Dork World
    • Nikki’s Diary
    • Ask Nikki
    • Ask Brandon
    • Academy
    • What’s New
    • Meet the Author
    • Dork Diaries Books
    • For Teachers
  • Dorky Stuff
    • I Heart Writing
    • Videos
    • Fan Art
    • Games
    • Meet the characters
    • Fan stories
    • Calendars
    • Wallpapers
    • Party Kits
    • music
    • Dorks Around the World
Author:
Rachel Renée Russell

dd14-menu-booktitle

Dork Diaries Book 14

Dork Diaries

#1 New York Times Bestselling Series

JUST FOR YOU!!
Miss Know-it-All's Advice
HOW TO:
Virtual PJ Party
Part 1

HOW TO:
Virtual PJ Party
Part 2

January 10, 2017

I’M TOO SELF-CONSCIOUS TO WEAR SHORTS!


ask-nikki-jan-11th-blog-art

Hi Nikki!

I’m REALLY self-conscious of wearing shorts! I can’t wear them in front of people because I’m scared they’ll talk about my fat legs. Even when I’m in PE class, I still don’t like to wear them. I’m fine with skinny jeans but shorts are just scary! This was really hard to write. Please, please, PLEASE help me!!

Shaky Shorts

Hi Shaky Shorts,

Okay. First of all, it was totally brave of you to write in about this. This column is completely anonymous and SO many other people feel the same way you do, so by asking this question, you’re going to help a bunch of other people, too. Some people feel this way about their legs, stomach or arms. Some people are self-conscious about zits, frizzy hair, or braces. EVERYONE has a thing that makes them feel like people are looking at them and judging them. (Even CCPs! It’s true!)

And sure, it’s easy to say, ‘Don’t worry about what other people think!’ But it’s a lot harder to actually do that. I understand that. But when it comes to clothes, I think the main thing is to wear clothes that make you feel confident and comfortable. So part of me thinks, if you don’t feel comfortable in shorts…don’t wear them! There are other options besides jeans on a hot day. You could wear skirts (longer ones, not short ones) or lightweight capris, for example.

But, the problem here isn’t really what to wear when it’s hot. The problem is your self-consciousness. If you’re uncomfortable in shorts, don’t wear them. Easy. But if you WANT to wear shorts and you don’t because you think people will talk about your legs, it’s different.

I totally get how easy it is to think people are always talking about you. I mean, I’m fourteen! That’s my life too! But the truth is…I’m usually so busy worrying about myself that I’m not using my energy to judge other people. ESPECIALLY people who haven’t done anything to deserve it.

Like, I might call MacKenzie names in my diary, but I think we can all agree she deserves it, right? But just a random girl at school who makes an odd fashion choice or has a bad hair day? I don’t even notice. Or if I do notice, it’s not a big deal. It’s like…huh, Marcy’s hair’s a little off today. And then I’m on to the next thought. (Usually it’s about Brandon.) I don’t spend the rest of the day locked in the janitor’s closet with Chloe and Zoey, gossiping about Marcy’s hair. If I DID, that would make me a terrible person, which would be worse than having bad hair.

Here’s another thing. I’m 100% sure you are your harshest critic. You think your legs are fat. But I’m guessing they’re totally normal. Try to see yourself the way you see your best friend. If she were the one complaining about her fat legs, what would you say to her?

And look, maybe you are overweight. I have no idea. That’s the beauty of an anonymous advice column! 🙂 But even if your legs don’t look like some skinny CCP’s legs, there’s nothing wrong with that. Beauty standards are so weird. Did you know that a long time ago, being fat was considered beautiful and being skinny was ugly? It was because being fat meant you obviously had the wealth to be well-fed, unlike those skinny peasants.

But the thing that’s ALWAYS beautiful, in any time period or place? Confidence and kindness! You could be a super skinny drama queen and still lack self-confidence. And people would be more drawn to the friendly, chubby girl who feels good about herself.

So try to wear clothes that make you feel confident, treat yourself like you treat your friends, and most importantly, try to focus on the things you love about yourself, so you can project some self-confidence to the world.

And for crying out loud, don’t wear jeans when it’s hot outside! 🙂

Readers, is there something about yourself that you don’t like? What is it, and how do you deal with your insecurities?

Category: Ask Nikki Tags: beauty, self-esteemnikki

Comment Guidelines

I’m happy to post your comments (as soon as I can) as long as you follow these 7 rules:

  • All comments MUST be on topic!
  • Comments that either request advice or offer advice will NOT be posted if they are OFF-TOPIC.
  • NO bullying or mean behavior!
  • NO bad language!
  • NEVER share your personal info, including your age!
  • Do NOT share links to other websites or blogs.
  • Make-Up a Silly Name or Post Without a Name (NEVER use your real name!)

Comments

  1. Giaguana says

    January 25, 2017 at 6:05 am

    I think the reason your calling yourself fat ( which you should not be! ) is because your probably developing to early! Hey I am to! I may not have the best legs or curly hair! The thing is everyone was made to be different but you where made to be yourself!

  2. wonder girl says

    January 24, 2017 at 8:14 pm

    It okay we all are fear of something

  3. BowserBananas says

    January 24, 2017 at 7:14 pm

    You’re AMAZING and don’t let people tell you otherwise.

« Older Comments
Top ▲
Ask Nikki Maxwell a question

Freaking out about a problem?

Freaking out about a crush problem? Major drama in school? Bratty little sister driving you crazy? No worries! I’m here to help! Tell me what’s up and I’ll give you the best advice I can. Just ask Chloe and Zoey…I’m awesome at giving advice!! I’ll try to answer a question each week, depending on how much homework I have!

Search

Nikki's Advice

Advice Topics

  • friends
    • BFF
  • crush
  • self-esteem
    • beauty
  • school
    • grades
    • homework
    • teacher
    • writing
  • sports
  • health
  • humiliation
    • bully
  • parents
    • dad
    • mom
  • siblings
    • brother
    • sister
  • Pets

Ask Nikki a Question

    Ask Brandon a question

    Get the boy side of things!

    Nikki Maxwell's diary

    Read Nikki's latest adventure

    Recent Comments

    • I SHIP BRANDON AND NIKKI on Ask a Question!: Zoey’s Dorky Details
    • LL on Ask a Question!: Zoey’s Dorky Details
    • Just curios on Ask a Question!: Zoey’s Dorky Details
    • Dorky dork fan on Ask a Question!: Zoey’s Dorky Details
    • Dorky princess on Ask a Question!: Zoey’s Dorky Details

    WEBSITE MAP

    • What’s New
    • Nikki’s Diary
    • My Books
    • Ask Nikki
    • Meet the Author
    • Ask Brandon
    • Merchandise
    • Videos
    • Fan Art
    • Academy

    BUY THE BOOKS

    • Amazon
    • Powell’s
    • Barnes & Noble
    • Simon & Schuster
    • Books-A-Million
    • Target
    • IndieBound
    • Wal-mart

    DORK DIARIES INTERNATIONAL SITES

  • Brazil
  • Germany
  • Italy
  • Portugal
  • Bulgaria
  • Greece
  • Korea
  • Romania
  • Czech
  • Holland
  • Latvia
  • Taiwan
  • Estonia
  • Hungary
  • Lithuania
  • Turkey
  • France
  • Israel
  • Norway
  • UK
  • Top ▲ · Copyright © 2021 Rachel Renée Russell · The Dork Diaries Series is written by Rachel Renée Russell and published by Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing · Privacy Policy · Terms and Conditions