Unique. Original. Creative.

Scarlett Rayne, one of our Teen Identity team members, has some forward-thinking ideas about life, friendship and identity… and she’s bold enough to share them with the world.

More images and stories coming over the next few weeks from our latest Teen Identity team photo shoot… where we empower and inspire girls to unleash their true beauty, find their voice, and change their world… forever.

What do you value most in your life currently?

I’ve always loved music and on the days that mom takes away my radio or albums or something I could seriously die. I know that sounds really over dramatic, but that’s just how I feel. I really don’t know where I would be or what I would do without it, because it’s gotten me through so much.

What is your vision of your future?

I really hope to have a pretty successful music career, I don’t expect to have a career anywhere near bands like Led Zeppelin or Aerosmith or Jefferson Airplane, but I hope that I get somewhere.

What characteristics do you look for in friends? How do you choose your friends?

I usually don’t walk into a room full of people I don’t know and meet someone, I usually take a few days to realize who’s worth my time and who’s not. I don’t like being associated with people who have very hateful or violent personalities or views on life and people who just constantly put people down or think that there are better than everyone.

I really can’t stand liars or brown nosers; the people that will say anything to impress you or please you, what’s wrong with being honest and just saying what you feel and being yourself? (I get it if you’re trying to find yourself but don’t make up a life or be mean while doing it.)

Those are usually the people that I get along with; the people that say they like the color pink just because everyone that they’re around does, and the people that tell me that they like my pants because that’s what I want to hear.

Bottom line, I like friends to be very honest (not mean), genuinely loving, nice people who are true to themselves.

What do you say or tell your friends when they’re feeling down or depressed?

I usually have to say something along the lines of, “Hang in there, there are things to live for, you just have to find them. Giving up is easy, keep holding on and one day you will find that something to live for.

Sometimes it may feel that you’re the only one that’s hurting, the only one that’s in this position, that life couldn’t get any worse and this is the only way out, but it’s not and you’re not the only one, you’re not alone, you just need to hang in there and I promise you, you will see that light at the end of the tunnel things will get better, You just have to take life one moment at a time. Things will get better, trust me they will; I promise you.”

What do you worry about most?

I’ve learned that life is waaayyyy too short to worry about things, things that are most of the time out of your control, and that I shouldn’t worry about anything and just enjoy life; live life to the fullest.

Describe your ideal world related to how girls are treated… at home, at school, at work, in life.

Lots of women are taken advantage of, screamed at, beaten, and held to higher standard just because of being women, I really don’t understand why. All that happens to men too, but a lot less because they’re just that, men. I really hope that women will one day be respected more and treated better, and not held to such a high standard because we are only human.