Things I wish someone had told me when I was a teenager

Today I decided to bring you another looooong post. If you are looking for pics and such, this post will probably bore you. Still, if you are a teenager, or just any girl who's struggling with some negative things (about you, about society, about life) this post is for you.

Having gone through many of the above myself (and survived!) I wish I could tell teens a thing or two about life.

I hope you like it.

My thoughts on being "ugly" and my love for 2NE1

What on earth has ugliness have to do with 2NE1???

I know, these two don't seem related at all.

Let me explain.

First off, I'm not pretty, and I'm fully aware of it. I wish I was pretty, or cute, like those doe-eyed girls I see in mags as Happie Nuts or Ranzuki, with their tiny noses and pouty lips. But I'm not.

Not that I give a crap about people thinking I'm not pretty, it's just a personal issue.

However, beauty seems to be a valued gift for those who have it from birth and for those who can afford it, because, yes, you can buy painful beauty. It is so to the point where people's whole lives revolve around it, and I see that very clearly in one of my favorite things, K-pop.

Did you know that about half of the female population of South Korea has had surgery? Even the members of one of my favorite Korean bands, Brown Eyed Girls, have had some drastic surgery, which is said to have granted them the fame they enjoy today.

But that's not the case with 2NE1.

My thoughts on gyaru style, beauty and fashion in general.

I came across gyaru style by accident. I had started listening to Koda Kumi and Utada Hikaru and I gradually fell in love with Japanese culture. So, with the whole world before me behind a screen, I started to know more about Japan.

I had always been interested in fashion but with a perspective that I think most people don't have: I believe fashion is a way of expressing yourself ; like when you wear a band t-shirt, you're trying to make a statement about how much you like that band. At that level. Reflecting a piece of the inside, into the outside. But everyone I know sees fashion as: either some trend you must follow or be lame, or some trend you must not follow, because that shows banality and lack of personality.

Now THIS is some original thing no one's ever worn before!
{Don't get me wrong, I like the Ramones, and I like punk-rock. This is just an example of what those very-original not-trend-follower people wear}

Anyways, I don't know when or how, I saw gyaru (from the English word "gal") for the first time. And I loved it. Not (only) because I like aesthetics, in general – I will explain myself better later, maybe in another post- but because of the concept of Japanese fashion itself. Maybe it's only my interpretation, but I think most Japanese styles started as a way of rebelliousness, showing individuality and an alternative to boring trends, in search of creating something different.

What's the deal with natural beauty?

Everyone has an idea of right and wrong. Let's leave religious concepts for a minute and focus on morality, that "inner compass" that helps us distinguish between right and wrong.
It is wrong to judge people for what they are (what they were born with, what we didn't choose) and it's right to judge them on what they do (what they choose to do). We can't judge people because of their race or ethnicity, their religion, their nationality, their gender. We can all agree to that, right? Well, if so, my question is the following, why do we have so much respect or appreciation for the so called "natural beauty"? Being naturally beautiful (thin, or tall, or just "pretty") only means you got really lucky when it comes to genetics. You didn't have to do anything to earn it, it's just there. Aren't we supposed to not judge people over that?
Some women, like me, need to work out a lot, follow a diet, wear lots of make-up, dye our hair, pluck some hairs on our unflattering eyebrows, etc., to fit into the beauty standards of our societies. (In my case, I don't succeed completely.)
Being attractive gets you far, that's a sad truth, and whoever tells you otherwise are just fooling themselves. I mean, let's face it, if me and a more attractive girl were equally qualified for the same job, chances are, she would get the job, because beauty sells. If you don't believe me, just check out the multimillionaire companies that make money out of beauty products. (Careful here, I'm not saying that's the way I see it, but the way it is.)
Ok, I'm getting a bit too far from the topic. My point is, this whole idea of natural beauty only makes people discriminate against those who are not. There is this growing tendency to show celebrities without make-up almost in an incriminating and mocking way, like saying "Ha! You ugly liar! You're just all make-up and photoshop!". Even celebrities like Demi Lovato make these "campaigns" against wearing make-up, showing themselves au naturel, proving they can be pretty without it. Well, guess what? I can't. I have redness and pimples and allergies that make me look not necessarily ugly, but unhealthy, which I really don't like.
If you are pretty enough to feel confident (and most important, to not be looked down on by society) that's great. But making it such a big deal is plainly saying "if you're not born with it, too bad", because the truth is, there's nothing you can do about it.
So, let people be. Shouldn't it be the inside that matters? Focus on that and let them "decorate" their outside anyway they want!