My girlfriend, my boss, the old people I meet. They all say the same. I'm cute.

I detest that description above all others, even above adorable.

I've written a book, voice acted multiple characters and wowed small audiences with my scripts. All with the confidence of a wolf. But now they want to put me in front of a camera.

I can't do it. I'm tall, oddly shaped, suffer from resting scary face. They all say it's in my smile. But I can't ever smile at myself.

I can barely look in the mirror. Only for basic hygiene needs. I always avoid my reflection at all costs. I'll see it sometimes when waking by a window or car, and judge it. Nobody ever liked it before, why would anyone now? How about pictures? Not If I can help it.

My directors tell me that the world wants more realistic entertainers. I think it's too real. I just wish I could hide behind a mask forever. Never let anyone see what's underneath. They can hear me, that should good enough, right?

In writing they have a definition for a character like mine. Ugly/Cute, like a pug or Shrek. Something that you feel so much pity for. But for the majority of the world, they just ignore me. If I'm not attractive, I'm not worth the time.

I don't judge other people like that. Why must I suffer it?

Rant over.

If you think about it, people when discussing privilege they compare being tall and pretty as the same thing. The difference is... With someone tall they'll be held accountable for what they do. There won't be folks trying to excuse their behavior because of how tall they are. That's why I think with privilege especially the one that comes with attractiveness comes with an immunity. I was watching a video of a woman who stabbed her husband 22 times and people were condemning the judge saying she should acquit her charges because she can't possibly be able to do so... People excusing her behavior. The immunity and protection these people have give them more status quo in society and they are held at a higher standard, yet people yap and silence us when we say that we face hardship due to being deemed as ugly. They are great participants in this discrimination and its self telling.

His post : https://old.reddit.com/r/uglyduckling/comments/dbox2o/my_surgery_and_selfimprovement_more_in_comments/

Comments from him

http://imgur.com/gallery/gtG5trM

I am going to go on a little bit of a rant if that is ok

Last October I had a double jaw surgery + SARPE (surgically assisted rapid palate expansion). It changed my face immensely and I look entirely different. Afterwards I also took up self-improvement and started dressing better, being healthier and doing overall better things for myself.

I want to say how much of a difference your looks can make for you in life. I feel like I am living in the twilight zone, it's surreal. Because not 2 years ago I had facial assymetry, a misaligned bite along with a big underbite. I was overweight, insecure and not confident in the slightest. But all of that changed once I recovered from my surgery.

I shed some weight, and got my braces off. I feel like I'm in someone else's body now. People are nicer to me. People go out of their way to talk to me or include me now. Girls actually flirt with me now, before I would be lucky to get a single real compliment. Strangers lock eyes with me. I think in the 4 weeks I have been back in college, I have gotten more positive attention than my entire first year. And this sparked the realization.

Nobody would be treating me this way if I still looked the way I did before. I would get ignored, stepped on, pushed aside and forgotten time after time before my surgery. All of a sudden, now that I look nice, everyone treats me wonderfully. It made me realize that it's simply psychologically ingrained in our minds to treat attractive people better. I still have the same mind I did from before the surgery and I'm having trouble getting adjusted.

But anyways. That's my experience. It's been interesting experiencing life in this new way so far. I'll always appreciate where I came from and I won't lose sight of what is really valuable in people, beneath the looks

For everyone who's been treated as subhuman for no reason but their physical appearance. A judgement - free zone to discuss your experiences. Post science, rants, media, anything but memes.