On Deception

Desperate for Approval

Manhattan, NY, at the headquarters of the most well known magazine in America. A young woman desires to become the head editor of the magazine and she showed herself as the most lovely person in the building. She would always show others the happiest face of them all or would make herself be loved by the whole, but this wasnʼt the reality of the situation. Deeply she hated everyone, and just wanted to build herself a spot in the upper jobs, especially as the head editor of the magazine. 

Her name was Valentina, as a kid she always dreamed of having her own brand as a clothing designer, she would always put on fashions shows for her family to watch, but that stayed as just a dream. Growing up she realized the didnʼt have the ways to achieve it and her tastes, moved a little further. 

Once she graduated from high school, she proposed herself

that she was going to be the most famous editor in the industry. Valentina wanted to grow her name and career, but in the way, she became a real fake. She would always put on a pretty face for her friends and would talk badly behind their backs. Not even her boyfriend of so many years got to know her. 

For years, after years, she developed this character of happiness that even she didnʼt believe. From her eyes not a single soul suspected who she really was and definitely no one knew what she had had planed. Below her kind actions and everything, she was full of envy and was a very insecure person. This disturbed Valentina everyday and she was very miserable. Multiple times she got herself in the worst case scenarios, and literally had to act as she has no feelings. Her boss would use her favors to her expense and just use her. Valentina truly believed she really was doing something by putting herself as always available when instead as bad as she was, she only was getting used. 

After so much time faking it, she started to care less, and realized she only had to be nice with a few people because those were the ones who would get her to the top. This was bizarre. Valentina started to act as her true self. Being mean to her colleagues, and to everyone, even her boyfriend. He truly loved her and showed her how she was. He wanted to make her happy, but she wouldnʼt see that. 

Instead, she would treat him as if he had some sort of obligation towards treating her well. But he wasnʼt blind, she saw who she turned into and told her. She knew her all along, and after all that time he decided to help her and stayed with her, but she changed drastically and he wasnʼt going to be there for that. 

She had to learn to love herself and destroy that character by herself. After some time, she started to change, but saw no change of attitude on her partners. She realized that they were faking everything as well, and everyone in that office, were as lost as she once was.

By María Camila Montes, Step 10.