STORY TIME! When I was about 6 years old, on a hot summer morning, my dad took me to a small swimming pool right next to my Elementary School. It was really busy. By the time we arrived, there were already tons of kids playing in the pool. I was so excited and couldn’t wait to join in on the fun. My parents weren’t wealthy, so the only swim gear I had was this one-piece metallic navy blue swimsuit. After I was finished getting ready, I sprinted right towards the water. I was honestly so happy; not only because I enjoy swimming but because I was there with my dad. He was always working, so this kind of outing was a rare occasion.
By the time I reached the swimming pool, just I was about to jump into the water, there were three girls (around 9 or 10 years old) pointing and laughing at me. I didn’t understand what they were laughing about until I heard one of them say “Look at her bathing suit! It’s so ugly!” then the rest of the kids started to laugh along. I wanted to cry, but because my dad was there, I held back my tears. Completely embarrassed, I turned around and walked back to my dad and asked to go home. He kept insisting I stay and swim, but I refused over and over until he gave up. We packed up and left.
I still think about that exact story from time to time which lets you know how much it impacted me. Truth is, that incident left an enormous bruise on my self-esteem for years. The point of this story? I’m a completely different person today who’s thankful for that event now. You know why? Because I learned a bunch of valuable lesson that day: kids are MEAN! haha.. I’m kidding. That experience taught me to be empathetic towards others, to never make fun of others, to speak up when something isn’t right and to not care what people think. All things I still value greatly til this day. That experience put me on a path to become the person I am today. The only regret I have is not being there to tell 6 year old Thao to stay in the pool, enjoy herself and rock that blue swimsuit like it’s the new hotness!
In life, we’re going to do things that people aren’t always going to agree with. They may even make fun of you. We’re going to wear certain clothes, style our hair, do our make-up a certain way that might trigger an unwanted reaction. But who cares! Express yourself, be confident, show your individuality, stand firm to the decisions you make and own the skin you’re in. Most importantly, don’t let what others think of you, affect your happiness. Now excuse me while I go searching for an adult sized one-piece metallic blue swimsuit; if you happen to find one - please let me know!
xoxo Thao
