No matter how open-minded a person may claim to be, we all make presumptions about other people based on the first impression. When seeing someone for only a second, we find ourselves making assumptions about that person’s attitude, their character and personality. We tend to notice things about that person’s appearance such as their manners, features and their company that we believe are grounds to pass judgment upon that person. I have learned a lot about this, based on my own personal experience in dealing with others who are quick to judge me.

I would describe myself as quiet, with short hair that’s naturally black with a bit of gold on top. Usually people find me wearing skimpy or small clothes. I love my clothes. When I’m wearing them, I feel good and they represent what I’m feeling. There are many people that would come to me and comment on my dressing style and ask me why I like it.

This is often done when I’m walking in the road. They sometimes sit and stare at me for about five minutes or more and when I look back at them, they look away. Why they do that, I have no idea. I don’t know why my dressing style is such a major issue to some people. Do they feel that it’s inappropriate? I get why they would judge me, but to do it daily is unnecessary because I know people will always talk. It is what it is. I’ve learned to ignore them at all costs as I know that they don’t know where I come from or who I am.

Some seem to think that if the outside is disorganized, weird or imperfect, then the rest is like that too but, as with anything in life, what is on the outside isn’t always what is important. For example a book with interesting pictures can be boring and a woman with a Barbie figure may not be your best choice for a wife. In short, looks are not always the most important thing but what is important is how a person looks on the inside. Looks can be deceiving.

Some people judge based solely upon looks, without knowing the person that lies behind the looks, whether good or bad. This is called prejudice and it can lead to discrimination.

The society we live in today benefits from many people of superior physical attractiveness. It pushes out those who may not be appealing to the eye, people that are seen to be beautiful or flawless to others may gain unfair advantages such as special treatment at home, or the workplace, on the streets and at school. The less attractive people are being discriminated against in many things like depression, emotional scars, bottling things up and suicide.

As people, we have many purposes: one is to realise that we ought to love ourselves and that beauty is just a bonus. We cannot always pass judgment on people we don’t know. Get to know a person before judging them.