It was a late summer evening; I was heading back home from my pre-university classes. I was walking down the road when 2 young girls almost my age looked at me and commented “hey look at that girl; she’s got so many acnes on her face”. I felt the pain going through my heart.

It is common for teenagers to develop acne at this age, but my case was a little different. I was suffering from acne vulgaris which slowly started to spread across my face leaving open pores.

It was not the first time someone had commented on my acne or my skin but that day it was different. Was it because the comment was made in public or was it because the girls were fortunate not having to go through what I was going or was it because of all the frustration that had built-up over the years due to constant humiliation I had felt? I was not sure! All I remember is that reality hit me so hard that I could not stop crying in front of my mother and sibling.

I felt like I was the ugliest girl that ever existed. I even went to the extent of questioning my mother why did she have to marry my father? I believed that I got all the bad genes from my father and he was responsible for all my sufferings. How naïve was I to think in such a manner, but what else could a 17-year-old do that was hurt and has lost her self-confidence at such a tender age.

My mother felt helpless and I could see that in her face. That day I decided to it was enough, this has to change. It was my battle and was determined to fight it alone. Our loved ones can empathize with us but they will not understand how we felt because at the end it is we who have to live our life.

Every single one of us are unique, we have our differences and strengths. We all have some notion related to our body image. Body image is nothing but what we think about ourselves; it can be either positive or negative. It is the negative thoughts that pull our confidence down and force us to take adverse steps.

It has been ten years since the incident took place. Yes, it took me years to accept who I was. I realised that beauty is not defined by how others see you, but how you see yourself. If you accept yourself, the world will accept you.

I truly believe that God is merciful and will not give the entire sufferings to just one person. He has definitely gifted you with something better which you are unable to see. Identify that gift which is indeed your hidden talent. Believe it or not, your talent will shine so bright that all your flaws will just disappear.

Physical appearance will change depending on the way we groom and present our self in public but what will not go away is your talent. All this is of no use unless we believe in SELF-ACCEPTANCE. There are only two options in life, accept the truth and work on improving it or crib about it for a life time.

I made my choice. Have you?