According to the Cambridge English dictionary, ugly means “unpleasant to look at; not attractive”. However to me, someone’s physical appearance can never be defined as ugly. A person who may not attract you may look attractive to someone else. So who are we to then judge anyone as ugly?
The true definition of ugly, thus, is not based on looks but rather on their intentions, their motives, their mind-sets and their souls. Ugly is someone who misuses a person. Ugly is someone who curses another’s growth. Ugly is someone who is narrow minded. Ugly is for judgemental people…
We often judge people very fast without knowing their story. I attended this event recently where one of my friends shared her story where she met a ragged lady that had everything in life but then lost her job, her family, her everything. This touched my heart. It made me think that the very people we call ’ugly’ are human beings just like me.
The very moment we tend to describe someone as ugly or even pretty for that matter, what we are doing is bringing in a division in the human race. We are unknowingly stating ourselves as superior or inferior respectively. “She is ugly” does that mean you think you’re pretty and therefore superior? Ugly is therefore in comparing instead of acknowledging or appreciating.
The funny thing however is that we rarely consider the other persons’ feelings unless we encounter a similar situation. Take a scenario of a self-entitled ‘pretty’ person who, God forbid, met with an accident. Would he call himself ugly like he did to others before he faced the misfortune? Would he like being called ugly? The answer is NO. Then why don’t we then reconsider our definition of ugly.
So to the depressed girl facing tonnes of hidden issues, the mum with permanent stretch marks, the overworked dad with tanned foreheads, the kid with curly hair, the lady with ragged clothes, the women with acid burns- we are all one and do not let anyone affect your self-esteem, because you right there are the prettiest soul!