An article from iVillage which most of us could relate to
On my random jaunt to iVillage this morning, I found an article that touched me to the soul. I found myself thinking, yeah, that was exectly what I thought.
Back when I was a child no one talked about Ectomorph, the Mesomorph, the Endomorph body build. All I knew was that I was 'bigger' aka fatter then my cousins. They are all tiny and delicately build. I was big with my sturdy arms and legs and are always the butt of the 'fat' joke. I was just 8 years old when I thought of myself as an ugly fat little girl. I always wanted to be like Nikki who is prettier and fairer then me.
Not so long ago, I caught a hold of a picture of me when I was 8. It was taken at my grandma's house. It was a picture of Nikki and I. I looked at myself and thought to myself, "I wasn't fat! They LIED!!!" I felt betrayed by the people around me who perpetuated the myth of me being always fat. Funny, I was in the sprinting team in primary(grade) school.
The Asian society has always put a huge emphasis on looks (taking care of one's 'water face' as the Malay would say it). It's always about how you look, what you drive, what you wear, your jewelry, your shoes, your latest gadget etc. It almost feels like a never ending vicious cycle where what you have matters more when what you are as a person. It's about being better or at par with your neighbor instead of sharing both joy and sadness. It feels like we lost something. The spirit of compassion and sharing which was very prevalent in our society, back then.
Oh well... time just keep on passing..
Back when I was a child no one talked about Ectomorph, the Mesomorph, the Endomorph body build. All I knew was that I was 'bigger' aka fatter then my cousins. They are all tiny and delicately build. I was big with my sturdy arms and legs and are always the butt of the 'fat' joke. I was just 8 years old when I thought of myself as an ugly fat little girl. I always wanted to be like Nikki who is prettier and fairer then me.
Not so long ago, I caught a hold of a picture of me when I was 8. It was taken at my grandma's house. It was a picture of Nikki and I. I looked at myself and thought to myself, "I wasn't fat! They LIED!!!" I felt betrayed by the people around me who perpetuated the myth of me being always fat. Funny, I was in the sprinting team in primary(grade) school.
The Asian society has always put a huge emphasis on looks (taking care of one's 'water face' as the Malay would say it). It's always about how you look, what you drive, what you wear, your jewelry, your shoes, your latest gadget etc. It almost feels like a never ending vicious cycle where what you have matters more when what you are as a person. It's about being better or at par with your neighbor instead of sharing both joy and sadness. It feels like we lost something. The spirit of compassion and sharing which was very prevalent in our society, back then.
Oh well... time just keep on passing..