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In reply to the discussion: The Constant Pain Of Being Ugly. [View all]Qutzupalotl
(14,230 posts)Growing up, I had extreme buck teeth, making it difficult to close my mouth. People would point and laugh to my face as soon as they met me. I hated them, all the more so because of the way they made me hate myself. I felt hopeless and worthless. I remember being 8 years old, walking down the street I would turn and look away whenever a car would pass by, so my face wouldnt ruin anyones day.
Then I got braces which made things even worse for a while! But once they came off, I noticed people treated me differently. Instead of shunning me, they included me, and a few even looked up to me. Girls started to like me, which I thought would never happen; but deep down, I never felt worthy of their attention.
Gradually, I became like other people, but I never forgot how horribly I was treated growing up. I still find it hard to forgive them, but time helps me forget. Hearing stories such as yours brings back all that outrage.
I was lucky; I got a reprieve. Despite all this, I am ashamed to say I have no wisdom to impart to you. All I can say is what I say to everybody, just try to be as kind as possible to everyone, and do the best you can. As others here have said, the people who torment you are showing their own ugliness; let them keep it.
There are a few kind souls who can look past appearances instead of piling on an already difficult life. But I think most people react to faces as though they were their own, being happy around the beautiful and recoiling from the ugly. It seems as though everyone judges you based on whether they want to sleep with you. Even after what I went through, I catch myself doing it too. I suppose that its human nature, that there is some biological imperative behind it; but for a supposedly evolved, intelligent being, this cruelty is a disgrace.