Priyanka Chopra

Imagine being afraid to walk the hallways of your school, always paranoid that someone will humiliate you for something you don’t have control over. Now think about doing that every day for three years. From being called brownie in high school all the way to being a Bollywood and Hollywood popstar, here is the woman who has done it all: Priyanka Chopra.

Priyanka Chopra was born on July 18, 1982, in Jamshedpur, India (Priyanka Chopra). She is from a family of Indian army physicians and aspired to be a software engineer or a criminal psychologist growing up (Priyanka Chopra). She went to school in India but fell in love with America when she went to go visit her aunt in Boston, Massachusetts (Priyanka Chopra: The complicated feminist). She went to school in La Martiniere and moved to Boston, but moved back during her sophomore year to India due to the horrible racial bullying (Priyanka Chopra: 'girls called me brownie at school). When she moved back, Priyanka was told to take some headshots, but her mom was so inspired by the pictures that she sent one of the headshots to a pageant, which could make anyone eligible for Miss India, which she won, and it led her to winning Miss World in the year 2000 (Priyanka Chopra: 'girls called me brownie at school). This later lead her to the Bollywood industry and to breaking into the Hollywood industry in the year 2015 (Priyanka Chopra: 'girls called me brownie at school). Right now you can probably find her in either Mumbai, India, or Los Angeles (Priyanka Chopra). A hero must possess confidence and the ability to be reckless. People that are motivating and that inspire others have this persistency of always wanting to do better and more, which motivates others. Recklessness is another important factor because they have the urge to not follow the rules or paths set out for them by society.

Priyanka Chopra is a hero because she possesses the traits of confidence and reckless, because she paves her own paths and never gives up on her dreams and always wants to learn more. After all, even at the worst times, we all have hope. One of Priyanka’s most important traits that stands out from the rest is having confidence. Priyanka has this personality in her where she doesn’t want to be a typical stereotype and wants to leave her mark in this world. "I want to do things that haven't been done before, I want to create opportunities for people to come after me and say, 'O.K., now we can do this too'" (Newsmaker Vol.3). This shows that even as one of the most successful people at the time (and still now), she still wasn’t satisfied and wanted to go further, being a inspiration to other people. She also explains to get out of your comfort zone and explore what you want to do and make your own change and don’t let anybody stop you or tell you that you’re doing it wrong. Another thing is that she expresses the idea of not caring what other people think and to be yourself, and in general be happy and confident about yourself, as she says in the following quote: “I taught myself confidence. When I’d walk into a room and feel scared to death, I’d tell myself, ‘I’m not afraid of anybody.’ And people believed me. You’ve got to teach yourself to take over the world” (Priyanka Chopra Reveals She Was Bullied in US High School). This shows the difference from then to now of not having and confidence or courage to be able to talk in front of a large crowd and in general being self-conscious of what everyone will think of her. In general a hero is supposed to learn from their past and grow as a person, not to mention to grow from their fears and being able to face them. In conclusion, Priyanka Chopra is a confident person because of her fearless personality and drive of motivation, which in my opinion are characteristics of a hero.

Another brilliant personality trait of Priyanka Chopra that I personally see as a hero trait is being reckless and a rule breaker. Priyanka has created her own successful path in a way people wouldn’t think of, even being underestimated in her childhood and even now as a actress in the Bollywood / Hollywood business, which is represented in the following quote: "Stay in your lane - I heard that so much. I want to make my own lane! And yes it’s an extremely scary time” (Priyanka Chopra: Growing up, I Was Bullied and Called Names for Being Dark.). This shows how she inspires people to break the rules and be reckless instead of following the rules and staying in your zone. She also mentions that it won’t be easy to make your own path, but nothing ever comes easy when wanted. Another important factor she enforced was to have a loud personality and chase for what you want, which is shown here: “When I was growing up, I learned that if you want something, you can't just demand it, you have to command it” (Priyanka Chopra: Growing up, I Was Bullied and Called Names for Being Dark.). This shows Priyanka enforcing doing something that you don’t think you can do and to create your own journey. The quote also explains that you can’t stay in the shadows and you have to come out of your shell and do something that you don’t think you can do. This proved that Priyanka Chopra has a very reckless personality and is a creator of her own rules because of the path she took and unique story that led towards that. Yet, the story doesn’t end there.

In conclusion, the two characteristics that I feel a hero should have is confidence and being reckless because both of them are the steps to meet your end goal in life. Confidence is key because it makes you stand out from the rest and be loud and clear, which leads to not being satisfied and wanting more as well as getting out of your comfort zone. You should be able to explore what you want to do and don’t let anybody stop you or tell you that you’re doing it wrong. Being reckless and rule-free is another factor that helps you create your own path and to not stay in your comfort zone. Of course this is not going to all happen in one day... I mean do you really think Priyanka Chopra changed her perception within a minute? Priyanka Chopra inspires me because of how much confidence she has and how careless she is of what other people think and does what she wants. It inspires me to go out of my way and be more social and try to make my own path and figure out what I want to be in the future. Another reason why she inspires me so much is that I can relate to her childhood. I was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and went to school there and have suffered racial bullying just like her. Then I would think about her and saw how successful she has become and remembered that things are going to get better. It also reminded me to push myself a little more and stand up for myself. So next time you see someone being mistreated or going through a tough time, think twice. After all, no one likes a bystander.

                                                                                          Work Cited

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Desk, India Today Web. “Priyanka Chopra: Growing up, I Was Bullied and Called Names for Being Dark.” India Today, India Today, 10 Oct. 2018, www.indiatoday.in/movies/celebrities/story/priyanka-chopra-growing-up-i-was-bullied-and-called-names-for-being-dark-1360103-2018-10-10.