I have a colleague who is occasionally teased by others and all because she has a dark complexion – which is not unlike a lot of other Malays - and a bit on the heavy side – which again is not all that unusual. They call her ‘Black’ and make jokes about being fat. I feel sorry for her and don’t understand why people have to make fun of another like that and tease each other mercilessly. It’s not as if she can do anything about her complexion and if she is happy with her weight, then why should this bother other people anyway?
I’ve been wanting to ask her whether she minds all the teasing and why she puts up with it so finally I approached her and asked. She assured me that she doesn’t mind most of the time, that she hardly ever pays attention and that she’s used to it. Still, it disturbs me because I don’t think it’s proper for others to tease other people like that. If I don’t know the others any better, I’d think they are just being mean, malicious and spiteful, instead of being playful.
Perhaps our society is also to be blamed. We have advertisements touting the desirability of being fair-skinned and being slim – apparently being fair-skinned and slim can land one in a job more easily than being dark-skinned and plump. We have beauty products that promise miracles to the Asian skin - lightening cream to make the skin fairer in days if not weeks - and slimming drinks to make us slender. On the other hand, there is no cream in our market to make one look tanned although such fake tan products are aplenty in the western markets. Appeton Weight Gain is probably the only weight-gain formula drink in the market otherwise saturated with weight-loss formula drink.
Does our society then in some way encourage people to view others so narrowly? That if one is either dark or on the plump side, she is doomed to a failed life or a less-than-desirable existence? A real-life Ugly Betty, bullied at work and clumsy in life? (There are times when I feel like an Ugly Betty myself, not because I’m bullied at work but because I, too, am a clumsy klutz at times).
I believe we are all Beautiful inside and outside, because we are all God’s creation. It’s just that we tend to view other people and benchmark them against our own (biased and twisted) perception and idea of what beauty is. But how can we call ourselves Beautiful when we put down other people easily? And what right do we have to criticise and make fun of another of God’s creation?
I’ve been wanting to ask her whether she minds all the teasing and why she puts up with it so finally I approached her and asked. She assured me that she doesn’t mind most of the time, that she hardly ever pays attention and that she’s used to it. Still, it disturbs me because I don’t think it’s proper for others to tease other people like that. If I don’t know the others any better, I’d think they are just being mean, malicious and spiteful, instead of being playful.
Perhaps our society is also to be blamed. We have advertisements touting the desirability of being fair-skinned and being slim – apparently being fair-skinned and slim can land one in a job more easily than being dark-skinned and plump. We have beauty products that promise miracles to the Asian skin - lightening cream to make the skin fairer in days if not weeks - and slimming drinks to make us slender. On the other hand, there is no cream in our market to make one look tanned although such fake tan products are aplenty in the western markets. Appeton Weight Gain is probably the only weight-gain formula drink in the market otherwise saturated with weight-loss formula drink.
Does our society then in some way encourage people to view others so narrowly? That if one is either dark or on the plump side, she is doomed to a failed life or a less-than-desirable existence? A real-life Ugly Betty, bullied at work and clumsy in life? (There are times when I feel like an Ugly Betty myself, not because I’m bullied at work but because I, too, am a clumsy klutz at times).
I believe we are all Beautiful inside and outside, because we are all God’s creation. It’s just that we tend to view other people and benchmark them against our own (biased and twisted) perception and idea of what beauty is. But how can we call ourselves Beautiful when we put down other people easily? And what right do we have to criticise and make fun of another of God’s creation?
‘Cause we are beautiful no matter what they say
Yes, words won’t bring us down, oh no
We are beautiful in every single way
Yes, words can’t bring us down
Don’t you bring me down today
Yes, words won’t bring us down, oh no
We are beautiful in every single way
Yes, words can’t bring us down
Don’t you bring me down today
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