Open letter: Why I’m always so happy

Dear friend,

People ask me why I always seem happy, all the time. Anywhere, anytime.

You want to be happy? Simple.

Here’s my secret.

Just remember how beautiful you are.

On the inside and on the outside. You can be looking like Shrek but still feel beautiful and good about yourself. That’s what we all need.

To remember our beauty.

We were created beautiful, and we still are, with the passage of time. Nobody said we would have to be perfect to be beautiful. At least, that’s what many people think, because of the labels that society glues onto us.

“Fat.”

“Ugly.”

“Beanstalk.”

“Button-nosed dwarf.”

But even if you don’t feel perfect, it doesn’t change how beautiful we all are.

Trust me. I know what I’m talking about.

I’m a fat Asian girl, living in Asia. It is hard to be fat, and a girl, in Asia. What’s more, I’m a fat + girl in Asia.

Does that change the way I think positively about myself? No.

Every day as I wake up, I look at the sun, and it reminds me that I’m blessed.

I don’t live for other people. Let alone their judgement. What they judge of me will not affect the way I feel about myself. Why give weight to their petty judgement?

While I may not conform to how society looks at someone or defines someone as beautiful, I do know I am beautiful. Despite all my shortcomings.

That’s my secret. And I hope when you look into the mirror, you’ll remember how beautiful you are too, and that one day, this will also be your secret to being perpetually happy.

Signed,

Your beautiful friend.