My first reaction is what beauty? I’ve definitely crossed over to the invisible side. I rather prefer it that way… My whole life my weight has fluctuated quite a bit and my self-image with it. When I’ve been fat, I’ve been ugly — at least in my mind. I noticed that the more weight I gained, the…
Tattoos have been around for centuries. From the Native Americans to the ancient Egyptians to the Maori tribes. Tattoos have held significance in a lot of cultures. They symbolised a person’s identity in a number of ways, whether it be status within a community, passage into adulthood or a connection to a spiritual group. Being…
Impossibly High Beauty Standards Are Ruining My Self Esteem In my excitement, I whipped out my iPhone for a photo opportunity the moment I got into my car after leaving the salon. I placed one hand on the steering wheel of my Volkswagen and used the other hand to take the photo. Then I looked…
For many, a sign of love or affection comes neatly wrapped up with a bow— and a really large price tag. It’s bouquets of flowers, shiny diamonds and fancy dinners. It’s nice and all, and probably makes your friends jealous. It makes you happy in the moment. But what about the morning after? And the…
While watching some videos on Youtube one day, something off-topic came up on my ‘Auto-Play’ pane. A video titled ‘Dear Natural Hair Police’. Ironically, this video popped up as I was in the middle of my wash day (aka a drawn-out process in which I wash and style my hair). I didn’t want to touch my…
I gazed into the mirror and applied a gray paste carefully to the top of my head with a spatula. The paste stuck to the remaining hairs, matting them together as questions of a new identity loomed on the horizon like the light of a new day. The treatment would have been more effective if…
Q. Why do pretty people get away with murder? A. Preservation of the species. Huh? How could those two ideas possibly be connected? They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. That’s partially true, but the symmetrical face with a particular set of characteristics such as how wide apart the eyes are and…
I had just walked in the door when you sidled up next to me. “Can I show you something?” You showed me your iPad, face lit up with eager excitement. You watched me closely, looking for a happy or grateful reaction — something to reinforce your discovery. Instead, you watched my face fall. On the…
One evening when I was about 10 years old, I found my mom sitting cross-legged on the living room floor by a lamp. She was gazing at herself in a hand mirror, and an open rectangular box wrapped in red satin with Korean writing on the lid sat nearby. As I got closer, I noticed…
I recently took a bath for the first time in the small bathroom of an apartment where I’ve lived for five years. That’s a long time to neglect such a simple pleasure. As I lay there, all warm, rubbery and relaxed, I started thinking about why. Practically, there was no stopper for the tub. I…