I came out of the movie theatre with the uncontrollable urge to dance and the sudden need to remark on every detail of my life via song. I felt empowered and ready to enter a dance contest. Now, if I could only get the disturbing John Travolta images out of my head…

Hairspray made me want to dance and sing and have big hair, but there was a larger, more important lesson to be learned through it: In order to achieve your goals, you must first be content with who you are.

Throughout the entire movie, Tracy does not mention her size once, in fact, she doesn’t seem to care. She is happy just the way she is and chases after her dream when everyone else tells her she can’t do it. In the end, she accomplishes her dreams and leaves a lasting impression on those around her.

OK, this is the part where I am supposed to lecture on the false body image that society has given us, but really I think the falsity comes from within. The reason that 0 is the new 2 and 6 is the new 14 is because we are unhappy with ourselves and losing weight and being thin is just how some cope. Others get plastic surgery, I go shopping, some eat cake; sometimes I do that too.

Being skinny is okay and so is being big. I don’t care if you are a size 00 or a size 500, all of the diets in the world, all of the clothes in the world, and all of the approval in the world will not make you happy if you cannot find satisfaction in who you are.

Start by looking in the mirror and seeing yourself for who you really are. Accept the reflection staring back at you and compliment her because she is beautiful and deserves to be told so. Pick out things that you like about yourself and accentuate them. Not only will you be more confident, but others will feed off of your optimism.

Next, decide who you want to be and what goals you want to accomplish. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do it. Work hard and strive to change the world. If that means dancing and narrating your life with song, by all means, sing loud and dance hard!