Don’t judge, period.

When it comes to judging people, there’s a fine line between character and visual impression.

Remember when your parents used to tell you not to judge people based on how they look? Well, though we may have been told not to do that a hundred times, sad to say, we still do.

I’m not one of the prettiest girls around. People don’t usually notice me on the street. I may have walked past you, but surely you wouldn’t have noticed me if not for my bright clothes. I’m plainly average; I’m not thin, I’m not tall, not even close to what girls call the ‘it’ girls. I wear glasses and I don’t have the best fashion sense in the world. My every day clothes consists of jeans, t-shirt, rubber shoes, and an occasional dull coat to keep me warm on cold days. I don’t wear makeup; just a few dab of a face powder in the morning and I’m good to go.

Three months ago, I decided to have a makeover. I changed my hair. I taught myself how to apply makeup; I even asked the help of my fashion designer friend to revamp my whole wardrobe. I wear high-heels now; I have skirts and dresses in my closet, and have practically thrown away all my sneakers and rubber shoes. The change was remarkable. People noticed me on the street, they even open doors open for me (treatment I didn’t get when I was still a plain-looking gal). Overall, my makeover gave me the confidence I want and the respect I deserve.

So, what does this say about our society? Well, the sad truth is, we are shallow, materialistic people. We get easily impressed by materials things, and although we try to follow what our parents told us, we always judge people by physical impression. It’s often what we look from the outside that dictates how people treat us.

And so, what our parents warn us not to do have sadly become the norm today. If you want people to respect you, you have to look the part. Change your physical impression, and it’ll take you a long way. I learned that the hard way.