It's okay to be ugly

In recent times, society has made quite many efforts to make people feel valuable. The 'what's inside you is more important', 'just take care of your skin' and all the 'glow up' talks. But I believe these efforts are all made in the wrong direction.

I have grown up seeing people who don’t fall into ideal beauty standards to be told ‘Noooo, you’re so pretty and cute!!! Don’t say you’re ugly’. But, in a society where lean-ness or pale-skin is equated to beauty, how can one with different features feel beautiful?

I personally, wholeheartedly believe, that everyone is beautiful. But some of us are not Angelina Jolie or Chris Evans level of attractive and that’s okay.

It should be okay….. shouldn’t it?

Some people are indeed Greek god-level beautiful and their beauty should be celebrated like we admire the sunset or the raindrop on a leaf. But why do we need to make its opposite true? Why is a person who is deemed ‘unattractive’ immediately subjected to shame and hatred? Why do we have to chain down others to make someone feel ‘one of a kind’?

Being ‘ugly’ doesn’t mean you are undeserving of good experiences and it certainly shouldn’t deprive someone of love and affection.

To meet eyes with a stranger and try to hold in your smile, standing front and center in the choir group, getting special treatment of someone letting you get a step ahead in a long queue, someone taking pictures of you by the beach.

You deserve it all, irrespective of how you look.