Recently I read Anupa Mistry’s piece in The Hairpin called All About Me. In the article she talks a lot about the privilege of beauty.
I never really considered myself beautiful. I have a flat nose, a gigantic head and always look like I am slouching, even when I think I am not.
Growing up, I watched as my adorable little sister got away with things I would never have dreamed of. Beautiful people I observed through life seemed to make more friends and had a powerful natural confidence that I always dreamed I could have.
But in the past few years or so, I noticed the value of something more than beauty. The value of weird. I thank the internet – especially twitter and blogs- for this. I discovered different types of quirky people and soon realized that people appreciated all the strange things about me. It enabled me to organically grow my social media following who occasionally converted over to real life friends. I acquired some out-there freelance gigs and a boyfriend who seems to love all the peculiarities about me.
The insecurities about my looks became a non-priority. I have been sharing more selfies and personal blog entries with the goal of highlighting everything that makes me who I am. The whole idea of selfies, blogging and social media can occasionally seem self-centered but that’s okay. Let it be.
Be confident. Be who you are. Be weird.
Tiana Feng 