(Young Voices Speak is eaglenews.ph’s blank space for the youth to share their opinions, views, and perspective on any topic, issue, or matter)
QUEZON City, Philippines – A few weeks ago while I was riding the bus home, I looked out the window to watch the traffic caused by the heavy rain.
After doing so, the woman sitting next to me suddenly started mumbling.
She was apparently ‘slapped’ by my ponytail when I turned my head to the window. I would apologize of course, but then she said, “You think you’re good-looking enough to do such a thing?” I chose to ignore her and remained silent until she went off the bus, but I was actually offended about what she had said.
I didn’t feel sorry for myself. I was just upset about her way of thinking. Of all the things I hate in my generation, the one that saddens me the most is when people tell you what you can and cannot do something just because you’re not pretty enough. It’s stupid, it’s shallow. Nowadays, if you don’t have the looks of a supermodel, people will pick on you for having high standards in dating. It appears that you don’t have the right to stand up for what you deserve when you’re average-looking. What’s worse is when you tell a friend about how that person is not your type, and when you feel the need to say, “I’m not pretty, I know…” which is foolish because you never have to downgrade yourself for your looks.
My professor once showed us a blank paper with the tiniest dot in the middle. She had said that once she asked us what we saw, we would probably point out the small dot instead of noticing the whiteness of the paper. She said that people are fault-finders by nature, that’s just how we roll. But is it so bad to hope that one day, we’ll start to see all of the white instead of making a fuss about the almost invisible dot. Beauty is everywhere and is so easy to find, and it would be a waste if we fail to not see it.
People are beautiful, and I’m not only talking about the physical appearance. Whether you’re unrealistically pretty, unattractive or everything in between, you must know that you are more than that. You have a lot more to show the world. I feel regretful every time I think of how we tend to live our lives without trying hard enough to see the beauty in each other’s hearts. We should look harder, for the best kind of beauty is not seen by the eyes, but felt by the heart.
(edited by Jay Paul Carlos, additional research by Vince Villarin)