A friend of mine in her late twenties had a habit of stooping. She explained that the habit started as a teenager, when she did not want others to notice her breasts developing during puberty.
Although it was uncomfortable, she would stoop and try to hide them.
Most people want to protect themselves from negative attention. Sometimes, gossip can be hurtful but it is common among teenage groups.
Many girls always wear jumpers, saying the air-conditioning is too cold. They even wear jumpers in the hot sun during morning assembly.
But the truth is, they are afraid of being watched and discussed.
'Look at her! She is as thin as a rake,' or 'Wow . . . she's sexy!' My advice would be to take off those jumpers. Do you want to get heatstroke? An ancient Greek philosopher once said that if someone who is forced to go naked before a crowd of people still feels at ease with no sense of shame, then he is wise. This implies that those who have independent minds are free.
No matter what we look like or how others treat us, we can still be happy because happiness comes from the heart.