ABOUT ME | MENTAL HEALTH | DEPRESSION | SELF-IMPROVEMENT
Don’t Judge A Book By Its Cover
I Bet You Didn’t Know The Real Meaning Behind This Idiom
As I was reading an awe-inspiring article by Diana C., titled “There’s More To Me Than Meets the Eye,” a particular paragraph struck a chord deep within me.
It helped me come to a profound realization and made me rethink everything I previously knew about this seemingly innocent and outwardly meaningless idiom.
In her article, Diana invites her readers to ponder a deeply meaningful self-inquiry.
She asks:
“Therefore, is my physical appearance a fair representation of who I am? If you’re willing to explore deeper, yes. If you’re just going to scratch the surface, then hell no!”
This immensely inspired me and prompted me to delve deeper into the famous saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” exploring its almighty meaning in the same way I’m exploring my true self, both often overshadowed by superficial interpretation.
Don’t Judge a Book By Its Cover – Book Analogy
While the common understanding of this phrase suggests we should not judge situations or people solely on initial perceptions,
the profound and often neglected essence focuses squarely on human identity:
“You shouldn’t judge someone based only on what you see on the outside.”
This interpretation is crucial yet underrated and it drives the need to spread awareness about the layers and depth behind it.
Imagine our lives as books. Our physical appearance is merely the cover – sometimes glossy and inviting, other times understated, yet it holds little about the true story hidden within the pages.
This book analogy beautifully encapsulates the essence of our existence.
The cover might draw initial attention, but it is the pages – the experiences, thoughts, emotions, and our reactions to the world – that weave the core narrative of who we truly are.
The soul? It’s like the spine of the book, subtly holding all the pages together, giving the story its shape and resilience, and guiding us to turn each page with purpose as we journey through our narrative.
This depth is where the real meaning lies!
Each person is a complex compilation of stories, each page seasoned with triumphs, “failures” (read: “lessons”), quiet thoughts, and wild adventures.
When we choose to explore beyond the cover, we uncover the rich narratives that define the true nature of each individual.
This exploration is not just about understanding others but also about embracing the vast landscapes within ourselves.
In the expansive, interconnected web of human experience, every interaction and judgment holds the potential to either skim the surface or explore the depths of our timeless wisdom.
The choice to dig deeper can transform perceptions, enrich relationships, and expand our understanding of the world.
Through this reflection, inspired by Diana’s candid sharing, I invite readers to reconsider their approach to everyday encounters.
Let us not settle for the simplicity of the cover.
Instead, let’s commit to the beautiful, often challenging, but ultimately rewarding journey of reading the full book and truly benefiting from its timeless wisdom.
Let’s discover stories, not just covers.
Let’s live deeply, to the fullest, beyond the surface, in a world rich with hidden narratives waiting to be read.
My Personal “Don’t Judge A Book By Its Cover Experience
In September 2018, I started attending the Secondary School for Pharmacy, Cosmetics, and Healthcare, specializing in cosmetics, to become a beautician.
I wanted to become a beautician so I could learn to do makeup and “be pretty.”
This path fortunately ended in the second year when I realized that I had chosen this profession for the wrong reasons, obviously, you can’t be a beautician, not that keen on a bunch of work experience lessons and your favorite subject being English.
Initially, due to the influence of the environment in which I grew up, mostly by my narcissistic abusive mother,
I thought that makeup was the only way I could find my:
- self-confidence,
- self-esteem,
- and self-image
and thus help others.
However, after some time, I finally discovered that this was a pattern from my environment and not my life purpose.
So, I began my journey of personal growth, where I discovered numerous different ways to help myself and others.
This meant that I stopped hiding behind makeup and helped both myself and others to accept and love their true selves.
I learned a remarkable lesson:
“True beauty radiates from within, no need for a mask. Embrace your natural self; the most captivating glow comes from the authenticity of your soul, not a makeup palette.”
Awkward No Makeup Occurences
I must admit that I’ve faced many occurrences where people asked me why I don’t wear makeup or said that I should.
But the truth is:
I don’t NEED makeup and nobody NEEDS makeup. You either want to wear it or not. You don’t need makeup to be pretty!
My Makeup Addiction
I now view makeup as a form of artistic expression rather than a beauty enhancer.
But in 2020, I was addicted to makeup, even for quite many years before that.
I could only feel pretty when I wore makeup.
That’s why, after I realized that it was impacting me badly, I stopped wearing makeup completely for some time, and then I slowly added occasional red lipstick and mascara.
A huge motivator for stopping wearing makeup was also the fact that my crush at the time (my now fiancé Jaka Juvan) told me that he doesn’t like girls who wear makeup.
One of the biggest reasons why I usually still don’t wear makeup is because I want to be a representation of natural beauty.
The Facebook Comment That Left Me Perplexed
There’s one specific comment that I got and it stuck with me until this day.
Some older guy commented that I looked better when I wore makeup, but so many people don’t know that I wore makeup just because I didn’t feel good enough.
This comment was made under a post that I posted some time ago, and it was a photo I posted in 2020.
At that time I had a full face of makeup. It was a side-by-side picture compared to a recent picture.
Some other person commented, “Wow, that’s a great transformation!”
But then this person that I first mentioned replied to this comment, and his comment was (due to probably misinterpreting the order of the pictures or something),
“Oh no, that’s not a great transformation, that’s depression! Can’t you see that she was more beautiful in 2020? She wasn’t worried or anything.”
But that’s actually extremely false, and couldn’t be further from the truth!
In 2020, I still struggled with:
- anxiety,
- depression,
- and C-PTSD.
And I managed to overcome all three!
I’m feeling so much better. I honestly don’t care if I looked better with makeup because, like I said, I was using it because I felt insecure.
I now never feel the need to put on makeup.
Some people even perceive me as “not so beautiful anymore”.
But like I said, I don’t mind because I feel so much better on all four levels of being.
I wish that for each and every one of you as well!
Takeaway
This is the essence of not judging the book by its cover.
It’s a call to depth, a call to true understanding, and a call to see beyond the outer layers into the heart and soul of all things.
Let’s transform how we see ourselves, and each other!
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