Washington, Oct 13 : Hollywood actress Sandra Bullock has some advice for young girls - learn to express your individuality.

The ‘Speed’ star suffered from speech impediment as a child.

While talking to Fox News, she spilled the beans on the difficulties she faced in her childhood.

"Why is that young boys and men are unique and eccentric and mavericks when they''re different but women are ‘odd’ when we are eccentric or different? Would I have wished someone would have said to me when I was 12 or eight when I had my speech impediment? Uniqueness is something my mother pounded it into me," said Bullock.

"She said be unique and I didn’t understand it then, now I look at it and I go I wouldn’t want to be like anyone else and I know I’m off. I had a lisp as a child, it’s all these things that made me different and I tried to squelch and then once I realized I had squelched them I didn’t feel like myself anymore," she added.

Bullock has advised young girls to be whoever they are.

"Don’t change, be who you are. Society is really strong in their opinions so I made peace with the fact that the things I thought were weaknesses or flaws were just me," she said. (ANI)