葉音均
Are you nobody, too? Always being neglected in crowds, having no sense
of humor, having an awesome figure or a not-so-gorgeous face? Have you
always been scared that your weaknesses may be exposed and made fun of?
Now, there is a way out, nobody! You』ve got every chance to catch
others』 eye, if only you dare to show the world your 「defects.」
Take homosexuality for example, homosexuals used to conceal their true
love, feeling too ashamed to admit it. This stalemate was formally
broken on July the 8th 2000 when a crowd of gays, lesbians,
bisexuals and trans/gender demonstrated in the largest single event ever
held in Italy for civil rights, namely the 「 World Pride.」 They not
only came out of the closet, but regarded it as pride, and asked for
laws to protect their rights. Now there』re countless homosexual parades
regularly held all over the world, attracting thousands of tourists by
means of these celebrations.
To take another example, in the past, people with large heads were
always the objects of jokes and pranks. 「 Big head, big head, no worry
when it rains. Others have umbrellas, I have a big head.」 This is one
of the jeering doggerels that many people levy at those with big heads.
But the trend seems to be changing. Take a look at the hottest dolls in
the market in recent years, such as 「Doraemon,」 「Hello Kitty,」 and the
latest Korean import 「Maruko.」 The only thing they have in common is
their large heads! Large heads seem to have become a symbol of cuteness
and a feature of popularity. Therefore, people with large heads no
longer feel ashamed, but feel proud of their distinctive
characteristics. There are also other popular trends of other
attractive features such as 「 clever narrow eyes」 and 「sexy thick lips.」
An old saying goes, 「 Don』t wash your dirty linen in public.」 Many
people were always haunted by their infamies in private, being anxious
to maintain their reputation of family tradition. Nowadays, the biggest
rap singer in America, Eminem, has fueled his career to skyrocket to
enormous heights via putting his personal domestic criminal disputes and
the scandals in his family into the lyrics. He talks about his suicide,
his miserable childhood, the mental disorder of his mother, his doing
drugs and his divorce. He raps about things that most people who are in
the same condition with him can never speak about, and that』s how he
stirs the world up, how he makes a big hit. 「His lyrics make me know
that you have to believe in yourself and forget about what others say
about you because it doesn』t matter.」 Said one of his biggest fans.
「Don』t be afraid of the critics」 has become an important step to getting
out your strait-jacket.
These examples above prove that exposure of our flaws isn』t necessarily
a bad thing. No one had the choice of who they love, what they look
like, or where they grow up. The only control you have is to change
your situation or stay in it. So for people who have a sense of
inferiority, you should just show your uniqueness confidently and work
to change this world』s values. Even if you are not successful in
changing the world, at least you are being true to yourself.