Tlotlisang Mapitse: A Teacher Whose Book Inspires Girls to Reclaim Their Identity in Christ

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In a world that commercializes the confusion girls have in finding purpose, wouldn’t it be great if they all received hacks on finding their individual identities? If this were so, the world would be filled with a lesser number of counterfeits trying to look ‘cool’ on social media.

It is very difficult to find authenticity in girls living in the 21st century because anyone can be anything at any time. Plastic surgery gives anyone the perfect beach body and I-Phone filters give anyone extra smooth skin and perfect eyelashes.

Unfortunately, girls are ridden with an intense self-esteem crisis and they all decide to go with the flow of putting on filters in order to be accepted by the world. The big question is, how do you find who you are as a girl when people are only willing to celebrate the counterfeit version you can come up with? 

Intrigued by the reality that young women and girls resort to being fake to be loved, Tlotlisang Mapitse decided to write a book to help young girls and women to find their identity. Tlotlisang is a Mosotho teacher who graduated with a degree in Education and relocated to South Africa where she works today.

She has always loved writing because it helped her process her pain. Although it seemed like a hobby at first, she decided to use it to help girls to find who they are in Christ. In her opinion, the worst thing that can happen to any girl is for her to forget who she is.

Miss Mapitse’s book is centered on the theme of solving identity crisis and it is for females. She used a Christian perspective to allude to readers that God loves them more than they know hence she titled it  ‘The Royal Princess’.

The book unlocks secrets on how females can practically discover who they are if they intentionally decide to commit to a personal relationship with God. Mapitse believes that the message in the book is very pure because she was inspired and led by the Holy Spirit in writing the book.

She reports, “Human beings are God’s creation, and without Him, we are nothing.”

Miss Mapitse also believes that girls need to understand that they are valuable to God and He put them on earth to fulfill His purpose. The reason she named this book The Royal Princess is that she believes that girls are part of a Kingdom where God Almighty is King.

As His daughters all over the world, girls are royal Princesses and nothing can stop them if they grasp the latter as their ultimate identity. There is a lot of noise telling girls that they are not enough without certain physical attributes and this causes girls to practice self-hate.

With this book, Tlotlisang believes that girls will realize that who they are should not be measured by something as inconsistent as pop culture.

According to statistics, during the covid-19 pandemic, the rates of anorexia increased by 12% worldwide. The reason is that many girls were starving themselves in order to get what they call “an Instagram body’.

Many girls seek validation from things as small as the number of likes on Instagram and this is destroying our girls! Some are falling into relationships that destroy them and this is causing them to lose themselves.

To remedy this, Tlotlisang advises girls to realize that their identity is not solely based on their appearances. Once they grasp the fact that God loves them, they will not be tempted to draw their worth from the world’s opinions.

“Every girl is unique and needs to stop seeking her identity outside herself. God’s will needs to align with what you do as a girl and you will always be happy”, she says.

It is inspiring to find women who empower other women while calling them out on their mistakes. Women have the capacity to make a difference in the world and this can only be achieved once they realize that there is a need to wrap their identity around what God says – not what the world says.

Tlotlisang Mapitse has done a remarkable job in opening the eyes of many girls in her book. To get your copy, send her a message on Facebook or search for the book on Amazon.

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Grace Makwaza
Grace is an uprising youth activist who uses her voice to inspire and inform. She has worked internationally as the Deputy Secretary General with Model UN Impact. This is where she advocated for youth inclusivity in the implementation of the SDGs and further launched projects such as PHAHAMA MOSALI. She is currently the youngest SDGs Ambassador for the internationally renowned Global Citizens Innovative Solutions SDGs Challenge.