Ang pangit-pangit ko. Was what I would tell my ten-year-old self when I would look in the mirror and comb my hair before going to school in the morning. I super hated my hair because it was wavy. Almost ALL shampoo commercials on TV would feature girls with beautifully long and straight hair. So naturally, feeling ko ang pangit ko kasi hindi ako kagaya nila. I was so ashamed of my hair, lagi akong nakatali.
So that's my childhood insecurity issue. (Seriously, at ten years old?) Yeah. Unfortunately. And it's quite alarming because little girls these days feel so conscious, insecure and even terrible about themselves because of how they look. Quite alarming how society dictates what is beautiful and what is not.
But in a society where people are so obsessed with their looks, these girls prove to be otherwise as they share their own childhood insecurities:
Denizelle Tria
Growing up as a fat kid affected my self-confidence largely. Society has its way of making us feel inferior to other people especially when it comes to our bodies. I once thought, I should have that slender physique, radiantly white skin, etcetera in order to be called "pretty". Because let's admit, we all love to be called "pretty". Then I realized, Whatever, I will eat anything that my heart pleases. I think you just have to embrace who you are and use that to your advantage because each one of us is unique.
So that's my childhood insecurity issue. (Seriously, at ten years old?) Yeah. Unfortunately. And it's quite alarming because little girls these days feel so conscious, insecure and even terrible about themselves because of how they look. Quite alarming how society dictates what is beautiful and what is not.
But in a society where people are so obsessed with their looks, these girls prove to be otherwise as they share their own childhood insecurities:
Denizelle Tria
Growing up as a fat kid affected my self-confidence largely. Society has its way of making us feel inferior to other people especially when it comes to our bodies. I once thought, I should have that slender physique, radiantly white skin, etcetera in order to be called "pretty". Because let's admit, we all love to be called "pretty". Then I realized, Whatever, I will eat anything that my heart pleases. I think you just have to embrace who you are and use that to your advantage because each one of us is unique.
Love Rumbines
When I was a kid, I hated being skinny. I always got irritated when people make judgments about me—that I was sickly and I looked like someone who had not eaten in months. As if their comments would make me instantly fat and appear healthier. But as I grew older, I’ve come to love it about myself because I get to try on clothes that fit me well whenever I shop. I also get compliments like I can enter beauty pageants or I can be a model because of my physique.
When I was a kid, I hated being skinny. I always got irritated when people make judgments about me—that I was sickly and I looked like someone who had not eaten in months. As if their comments would make me instantly fat and appear healthier. But as I grew older, I’ve come to love it about myself because I get to try on clothes that fit me well whenever I shop. I also get compliments like I can enter beauty pageants or I can be a model because of my physique.
Claudine Claudio
When I was still young, I had a lot of peklat
because of my skin asthma. Before, my classmates would bully me pa—may piso daw
ako sa legs. I could not even wear shorts. Haha. I still don’t wear shorts,
except when I’m at the beach or when I’m swimming or doing activities that
would require wearing them. Dati kasi as in hindi talaga ako sasama sa mga
lakad kasi ayaw ko mag-shorts dahil nahihiya ako. Now, I tell myself, I’m beautiful the way I am and I just have
to be confident with that. You can’t have it all anyway… Hindi pwede yung
perfect!
Candice Gaspi
I disliked the contour of my face. Kasi nung elementary ako kapag inaasar ako, talagang umiiyak ako. Nakakatusok daw ako ganyan, parang may deadly weapon. Haha. Pero sabi ni Mommy noon, isipin ko nalang, at least yung mga may mahabang baba kagaya ko, sikat din. Kagaya ni Aiai tapos ni Babalu. So ayun. Simula noon, ni-treat ko na siya as an asset, kasi it sets me apart from others.
I disliked the contour of my face. Kasi nung elementary ako kapag inaasar ako, talagang umiiyak ako. Nakakatusok daw ako ganyan, parang may deadly weapon. Haha. Pero sabi ni Mommy noon, isipin ko nalang, at least yung mga may mahabang baba kagaya ko, sikat din. Kagaya ni Aiai tapos ni Babalu. So ayun. Simula noon, ni-treat ko na siya as an asset, kasi it sets me apart from others.
Perhaps beauty is more than meets the eye. As
cliché as this sounds, beauty is how we feel inside which reflects on how we
look on the outside. But we often forget, because society injects this ideal
form of beauty, that it is just something physical. And we all so fall into
this trap—this limited, boxed-in, shallow idea of beauty—of how we should look, should act, should this, should that. And we feel that if we are not what
society expects us to be, we are lacking, we are not pretty enough, that other
girls are prettier.
Often we forget about the true meaning of beauty. And I hope that by sharing this story we can all be reminded that we are enough the way we are. We are all beautifully different and we should cherish what makes us unique. Take it from me. Take it from these girls and their beautiful stories.
Now, I have learned to let my hair down. Not always tied up in a bun. And it's not so bad after all. At hindi na rin ako naniniwala sa straightening powers ng shampoo.
Often we forget about the true meaning of beauty. And I hope that by sharing this story we can all be reminded that we are enough the way we are. We are all beautifully different and we should cherish what makes us unique. Take it from me. Take it from these girls and their beautiful stories.
Now, I have learned to let my hair down. Not always tied up in a bun. And it's not so bad after all. At hindi na rin ako naniniwala sa straightening powers ng shampoo.
