Stop focusing on your looks
There is a very worrying new trend. Young girls post their pictures on YouTube and ask people to comment on their appearance. I find it difficult to understand why people attach so much importance to their looks rather than to their personality. It is so stupid.
Your appearance is not your most important aspect. I am an 'ugly' girl, but I do not lack self-confidence. You don't need constant reminders from other people whether you look good or not.
I pity girls who try so hard to be seen as cute and pretty. They have no real self-respect. Many people take advantage of their insecurities by calling them 'fugly'.
A person even told a girl on YouTube that she 'needs a hug ... around her neck ... with a rope'. That is a horrible thing to say.
We should be confident no matter what we look like. Remember the saying: 'Don't judge a book by its cover.'
Yeung Ting-ting, Fanling Rhenish Church Secondary School
From the Editor
Thank you for your letter, Ting-ting. This obsession with beauty is not new. But, with the rise of the internet, it has been magnified to such an extent that it is difficult not to become caught up in it. It is not something that fits well with the spirit of Hong Kong people. While Hongkongers try to look as good as they can, they do not compare themselves to others, as humility is an important trait that parents pass to their children.
Grading someone on their looks is cruel, but when people ask to be graded on their looks, it is not surprising that they attract nasty comments. It is all rather like primary school. Perhaps there are more primary chickens out there than we think.
Susan, editor
