Thursday, January 19, 2006
Mirror Mirror On the Wall - 5:18 PM
By now, we already know that a woman is the most beautiful on her wedding day. Her ivory gown fitted to perfection, her ring that bonds her forever, her face radiant and her husband, her destiny. But have you ever wondered, when is a woman HER UGLIEST? Since she's the most beautiful on her wedding day, then she must look the worst on the day she scrawls her name on the divorce papers? Hmmm... Well, I think not, for most of us females don't live for men and men alone.In my short 20 years, I have already identified my ugliest years so far. Without a doubt, .....SECONDARY SCHOOL!!! Wah, how I managed to not kill myself then is baffling. I had the signature bowl haircut, TRANSPARENT plastic glasses (cos I kept breaking the metal ones and my mom was fed up), Cedar uniform that I didn't bother to alter wadsoever, pimply face, bodyshape that resembled a mini rhino amongst other unflattering traits.
2 years back when I discovered my 'new self', my cousin Chloe managed to dig up an old photo of us. I was probably 15 in that picture. She said Dawn and her had a GOOD laugh over it. I saw it and wanted to puke. How come no one told me I looked so disgusting? I was OBVIOUSLY aesthetically challenged. GROTESQUE, some might say. But you know, I knew I didn't look very nice...but if you had told me I didn't look very nice, I wouldn't had listened to you anyway.
Justina is like me... we had very unglamorous pasts. We didn't look our best for sure, and sometimes had to fend off Aunties who thought we were boys. I had the 'Xiao diiiiii ni yao chi shen mehhhh' a few times at the Hawker Center, and Justina even got barred from the Ladies' once! BAH! AUNTIE... I AM A XIAO JIE!!!!! Not A XIAO DI!!! I even remembered worrying that people would think I was a butch cos I was tomboyish and a thrower in T&F. So Justina and I brainstormed a little and decided why we didn't FEEL ugly though we were physically not-pretty... ...
1) Everyone around us looked about the same. Save for the few ah lians (skirts up to their breasts and socks to their knees), some prettier ones, it was like we're all not supposed to look nice ANYWAY.
2) We did sports in Sec School. So if you wore multi-colored bras or had act cute hair or manicured nails, you would end up looking like you're trying too hard (so AA!)
3) There wasn't Chapter2 to cut our hair for us. During THOSE days, you should tou xiao if your mom didn't cut your hair! Market hairdressers and okok.. DOWNSTAIRS salon aunties are considered pros. Justina recalled her mom telling the hairdresser 'jian3 bao2 (thin), jian3 duan3 (shorter)', but she ALWAYS left out the 'jian3 mei3' (BEAUTIFUL)! I can't agree more.
4) You still have alot of fun in school ANYWAY, regardless of whether you're Tall/short, fat/thin, smart/stupid, hardworking/lazy, teachers'pet/teacher'swrath, athlete/nerd etc etc. SO why sweat it?
And that, I think epitomizes the statement 'Inner beauty is more important that external beauty.' As I look at my peers now and then, I see the vast difference of cos. But evolving into prettier and well-dressed ladies doesn't necessarily mean we become more confident of ourselves. Instead, I think we might even become more unconfident. OH...that phenomena has a name. Its called ANOREXIA. Nor does looking nicer than before mean we become better people. As we can see, alot of the beautiful people out there have drag-in-the-mud personalities... OH, that has a name too. Its called GOLD-DIGGING. -_-
Cedar remains as the happiest phase of my life so far. Yeah I looked gross for sure, but who cares?! MY FRIENDS WERE UGLY TOO! (Except Ms Ng Meishan who looks the same!) And really, we were 16! I'd rather we looked like we did than the Ang mohs here, who start applying eyeliner to go to school at 12...fullface makeup by 14, fake bake by 15, bikini wax by 16. For goodness' sake, we were still children! But alas, I hated to take pictures then and I am sure alot of you too. Justina was talking about those cliche wedding night videos, where they never fail to do a flashback of the couples' lives. If it was us, they would definitely see a break from age 12-18. heh.
Nevertheless, I have to salute Ms Bobbi Brown, Ms. Estee Lauder and their peers for their good work. I have learnt that makeup does wonders. Not just for myself, but like those glam shots/wedding photos you see as well. For those who say that makeup is MAH FAN (like a certain MS TPS and Ms Yong Shiyun), I challenge you all to use it and feedback to me. But ok, be warned...makeup is a VERY expensive hobby. (AYE! In case you're skeptical, PLZ LA I'm not asking you all to do COLORING on your face! that's called WAYANG, we're not going there) After you've taken care of your face, PLEASE! Don't forget your hair! Your Friendly Neighborhood Hair Guru (I.E. ME) advises her friends NOT to ever neglect their hair. You may think 'tsk. As long as my face is nice, who cares about the hair!' WRONGGG! Your Friendly Neighborhood Hair Guru says 'You may think your hair can be sidelined when you have makeup, but your HAIR is JUST NEXT to your face leh! It is OF EQUAL IMPORTANCE!' (maybe your Friendly Neighborhood Hair Guru is biased cos she is after all, THE HAIR GURU! She also warns that you won't get to the outfit if you don't get past the hair.)
As I learn the difference between a compact and liquid foundation, A line skirts and Full skirts, manicure base coat and top coat, untamed brows and nice brows, dangly earrings WIHOUT spectacles and only when you sorta have a neck, I have to commend myself for coming thus far. At the same time, I also have to remind myself that the quest for beauty is never-ending. Do not be too caught up in trying to look beautiful outside that I neglect my inside and lose the ability to stand for what I represent. (Also, I don't wanna look like Jessica Simpson! HAVE YOU SEEN HER RECENTLY? GAWD AWFUL)
As I read the card Justina wrote me for Christmas 'We ain't frens for a long time, but I guess we can click; brought together by sharing our jian4 bu4 de2 ren2 past and the more glamorous us as we are now.' Yes indeed. But I think thats how we marvel our changes huh? Look at your old photos, laugh as hard, and look at urself now. AHhhh... YES, wo men dou bian mei le.=)