I've always interpreted "Be yourself" in the sense of the old saying "to be, rather than to seem" [1]. It's not an affirmation of you being perfect, it's just saying that you can't even begin to know yourself and your true merits if you spend your time just trying to appear a certain way for the benefit of others.
Yes, the author of this piece had to learn the hard way that their attitude was toxic, but had this person never actually felt consequences from that behavior - there would be no hope at all for growing into a better person. You must be accountable for yourself, and if you think you must hide yourself to be liked or just follow someone else's example all the time - any time something breaks down, you won't know if it's because what you're pretending to be is wrong or if you're just doing it wrong.
The accountability necessary for personal growth is therefore precluded on accepting that the actions you take are fully your own, and consistent with your own conception of self. It's better to be wrong and learn why than to chase temporary praise through shallow, idealized imitations that serve to suit the expectations of whatever audience you value at the moment. Because when you cast off one imitation for another one, it will make it hard for anybody to know what you actually value - including yourself.
Yes, the author of this piece had to learn the hard way that their attitude was toxic, but had this person never actually felt consequences from that behavior - there would be no hope at all for growing into a better person. You must be accountable for yourself, and if you think you must hide yourself to be liked or just follow someone else's example all the time - any time something breaks down, you won't know if it's because what you're pretending to be is wrong or if you're just doing it wrong.
The accountability necessary for personal growth is therefore precluded on accepting that the actions you take are fully your own, and consistent with your own conception of self. It's better to be wrong and learn why than to chase temporary praise through shallow, idealized imitations that serve to suit the expectations of whatever audience you value at the moment. Because when you cast off one imitation for another one, it will make it hard for anybody to know what you actually value - including yourself.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esse_quam_videri