I have had experiences with people who don't see the reason to believe in themselves and their appearance. I was once afraid of showing my face before the camera not because I was ugly but because I felt I was not beautiful enough. I do see myself as not being photogenic because I made myself believe my pictures aren't beautiful enough. During my teenage age, I did feel inferior to my peers because I made myself believe I was not good enough. I continued this way and it affected my self-esteem for a long time.
There was a day when a family gathering was held at my house and everyone was asked to come together for a family picture, it was as if a wound was reopened. "This is what I hate most", I complained to my mom. She looked disturbed at that statement but she couldn't lecture me at that time, she just held my hand and took me to where the pictures would be taken. I had no choice then but to take pictures with the rest of the family which I did but wasn't happy about it.
I knew my mom wouldn't let the statement I uttered earlier go without her asking me questions about it. Later at night she called me and asked the reason why I said I hated taking pictures earlier during the party. "I narrated how I felt anytime I took pictures", she looked at me and nodded her head. I was expecting her to lash me and insult me but instead, she surprised me with her words. She gave me a mirror and said "Look at yourself in that mirror and tell me what you see".
I felt reluctant because I was wondering what she was up to, after a while, I picked it up and looked at myself in the mirror. "I can see myself" I replied, "did you have any deficiency on your face?" she asked. "No", I replied sharply, "then tell me why you think you are not beautiful enough". I sighed and said "My pictures don't come out well anytime I take pictures, it doesn't seem I'm beautiful enough", I told her.
She laughed out loud and nearly hit me with her phone, I was feeling uncomfortable with her laugh but I couldn't tell that her. After she was done laughing she said "My daughter whom I gave birth to is beautiful and wonderfully made, never feel bad about yourself, change the way you see yourself, only then can you see the true beauty you possess". After her words, she hugged me and asked me to go to bed, that night changed my life and how I see myself, and since then I have never hidden my face again. Irrespective of what people think about me or my pictures, I do appreciate myself and that's what matters.
This made me always want to help people with an inferiority complex, those who think the world wouldn't appreciate their looks unless they go on makeup or use filters while taking pictures. In my first year in a higher institution, I met a girl who coincidentally always sat beside me in class. She is quiet and looks disciplined, but I notice she is always on heavy makeup. One day my curiosity led me to ask her "You enjoyed having makeup on every day? Don't you feel uncomfortable in this hot weather?". She looked at me and smiled, then replied "It's not a big deal though, probably because I'm used to it".
I nodded in agreement but I wasn't satisfied with her response, I knew she was hiding something. I got close to her and we shared some words of advice. After a few months of our meeting, I invited her to my hostel for a sleepover. She couldn't deny it because we'd become the best of friends. When we were about to sleep, I was expecting her to wash off the makeup but surprisingly she wanted to sleep with the makeup on. This made me ask her, "Are you going to sleep with your makeup?" she couldn't reply to me then I guess she noticed she had no choice more than to tell me and show me what she had been hiding under the makeup.
She demanded face wipes to remove the makeup and after she was done cleaning, I saw a big patch on the right side of her face. Truth be told, I was shocked myself because the patch covered almost all of her right side cheek. I tried as much as possible for her not to see the shock on my face but it was too late as my mouth was wide open. "You are shocked I guess?", she asked me, I couldn't deny that fact then I nodded in affirmation. She smiled and said, "This is what I've been concealing under the makeup, does this satisfy your curiosity?".
I looked at her pitifully and after some minutes, I mustered the courage to speak, I held her hands and said "You are beautiful and wonderfully made, irrespective of what you have on your face, don't be afraid to show your face to the world. Don't care about what others think about you, let what you think about yourself be the priority", I concluded. She looked at me and a drop of tears rolled down her cheek, "I was once called a monster when I was in secondary school", she said.
"I understand how badly you must have felt but what you call yourself is what the world will agree on, you are beautiful and unique, do you know that?", I asked her. She smiled and replied "Yes", then we hugged and slept. The next morning, after dressing up for school, I was expecting her to put on makeup but she insisted she wanted to go to school without it. I was happy she wanted to give it a trial, "I want to build my confidence" she said, I smiled and held her hand as we stepped out of my house.
As we moved closer to our department, we heard different comments from other students and I was afraid she was going to feel bad but to my surprise, she was able to face her fears of discrimination and in the end, she conquered her fear. A lady passed our side and said to her friend, "Look at her face, she looked like a monster", I felt hurt by those words but instead of her feeling bad, she rose and walked up to the lady. "I might look like a monster to you but to God, I am one of his best creations therefore your opinion is not needed", she said and turned back.
I was so happy with her response and since then people stopped passing comments on her look. The lady who commented on her look then received tongue-lashing words from other students as she was being tagged as a busybody. Till date, she is enjoying her freedom from makeup and living the best of her life.
Thanks for your time and your comments will be appreciated.