I showed this video to the girls here in the youth group in Nottingham back in August and I have been meaning to write a blog on this.
OK so it’s been exaggerated a bit, but it’s not far off from how a lot of girls talk nowadays right? I find it difficult to take someone who speaks and acts like this seriously and I think most people do too. It’s not because I am being judgmental, it’s the image she is portraying. Whether we like it or not, the way we act and speaks says a lot about us and our personality.
When I was at school I used to speak slang, but in truth it was only to fit in with other people. I found myself speaking it all the time and when it came to my exams I found myself writing certain paragraphs in slang / text format. Luckily I got a B in English, but I believe I could have got an A if I had written properly.
When I left school I began to become uncomfortable speaking so much slang and when I made new friends at college I gradually started to change the way I spoke. As I wanted to go to University I saw I needed to change the way I spoke and acted. Of course I didn’t change dramatically but I did cut down on the slang and it helped me a lot and my English and grammar started to improve.
When you get used to something it can become a habit and without you realising, it takes over you. It damages your image as a beautiful intelligent young women that God created you to be. Unfortunately so many bright and intelligent girls are being looked upon as uneducated air heads just because of how they speak. They know how to speak and act properly but as they want to fit in with the crowd they sell themselves out. I see this everyday and to be honest it’s starting to annoy me. I would also like to add that music has a big part to play in this too. A lot of people repeat lyrics of a song in a conversation – even when they are speaking to their parents or teachers, how disturbing.
I’m, not saying we have to sound like we have just swallowed the whole English dictionary but we must speak properly, value ourselves and our worth. Those who are different make a difference. When we behave properly, people respect us and look up to us. They take us seriously when we have something to say. It will also help in regards to your studies and when you start work and have to communicate with different people.
I don’t accept to be one more in the crowd and be like everyone else, neither should you. Be yourself, be original, not a second rate version of someone else.
Sibon Phiri
