ugly • youngho

know your worth.

kirim showed us that you don't have to be loved by everyone in the world.

she also showed us that no one is perfect, even if society says that person is.

sadly, this is still a problem in women everywhere. the ideals of having pale skin, double lids and a slim nose are super common in korea. what i tried to bring to light is the struggle of korean women who don't see the hype around looking like dolls. some of them end up being exiled from friend groups and made fun of by their peers. or, they could live their lives freely. i wrote this book because i can relate to the struggle kirim had with her face and body. she wanted to change drastically but it was dangerous for her.

the plastic surgery was temporary, and she ended up realizing that she could love herself without a mask on. her friends begged for her forgiveness and her ex boyfriend spiraled into a pit of regret and self-pity. but none of that affected her anymore. she didn't get dirty looks from strangers or whispers from ideal couple she saw on the street. she saw change.

now, i'm editing this because i don't think i got my point across. being beautiful has nothing to do with getting surgery or wearing makeup every day. being beautiful has bothing to do with being skinny or slim thick. being beautiful is in the heart and in the mind. when you accept the fact that its very hard to change yourself and be the best you could have been, you can get so much done. when you spend your life running from shelter to shelter in hopes of not getting wet, you waste your life in fear and disappointment. but if you accept the fact that you will get wet, you loosen up and you see the light.

its okay to feel insecure. its okay to be sad. its okay to change yourself. but its not okay to change yourself because someone told you that you would look better like that. even your family members.

thank you for reading my book 'ugly'.

- Layla