Eye Of The Beholder

We unfortunately still live in a world largely defined by what we look like. Judgement based on outward appearance is something each of us are guilty and a victims of, more than we would probably like to admit. There is so much more beauty in people beyond their physical attributes or what society deems as beautiful. The old cliché saying "Don't judge a book by its cover." really does hold up in my experience. In my life, I sometimes struggle with the fact that I look different; my skinny arms and legs, curved back and ventilator on my face, create certain perceptions for some people about who I am. At times, I'm treated with an air of caution and slightly condescending tone by some individuals based on my outside appearance. I am so much more than what I look like; my mind is what I have to offer this world and you will miss it if you choose only to see me.

Visual discrimination in small amounts happens constantly, for example: think of all the times you've see someone and after say he or she would look better if they gained or lost a few pounds. Each of us, including myself are not immune to saying things that are somewhat rude. Comments such as she looks like a slut in that, he's really short, she's ugly or he's old are thrown around far to often. A still very common form persecution is that of people with tattoos. This is something that just doesn't make sense to me, why does it matter what others choose to do with their bodies. It's very troubling to me that people are sometimes reviled and even had their hiring affected by a piece artwork on their skin. There is not a certain type of person that gets tattoos and their decision has no bearing on their character whatsoever. It may seem totally acceptable to think or say these things if your not actually insulting the person to their face but the pattern of judgement needs to be altered in the mind before a society can truly be changed. In a country plagued body image problems we need to all do our part to curb these unreasonable exceptions... to do this we must all start with ourselves. Take everything you hate about how you look and throw it out the damn window, you are worth every bit of who you are! 
Love yourself.