You Are Not Beautiful, And That’s Okay

There seem to be ever-more posts on how all humans are beautiful. You can have a crooked nose, a wrinkled face, a bald head, a pot belly, acne and pimples and be overweight, and there will still be kind souls on the internet who will gladly tell you that you are pretty.

Except that they’re not kind, and you’re not pretty.

Face it. There are people who are just not aesthetically pleasing. And there are people who are not sporty, people who are not smart, and people who are not creative. You might be one of them – in fact; there is almost always an area you’re not perfect in.

You wouldn’t call anyone who takes half an hour to run a mile sporty, or someone who fails a primary school test in high school smart. You wouldn’t call anyone who is tone-deaf Chopin, or anyone who struggles to draw a stick figure Picasso. They just aren’t. And if you’re ugly, well, you shouldn’t be called pretty.

They’re not doing you a favor calling you pretty. Do you think a coach is doing his player a favor when he applauds a bad play? Do you think a teacher is doing his student a favor when he gives perfect grades to a bad assignment? The mature thing to do would be to point out the mistake, and give the kid a chance to practice till he gets better.

If you look unpresentable because you dress untidily, you should iron your clothes and polish your shoes. If you’re obese due to overeating, you should get rid of the chips in your hands, get out of your seat and take a run. But if you’re born ugly, then what’s wrong with that?

Not everybody can run as fast as Usain Bolt or jump as high as Michael Jordan. Not everyone can get perfect SAT scores or complete a doctoral thesis.

As for you, you can’t realistically expect everyone to be a picture perfect model. But that doesn’t mean you can’t be likeable – that doesn’t mean you can’t be loved.

And indeed, it is humanity’s capabilities to love the imperfect that makes us human, isn’t it?