Daughter
unlike mother, individualism worth the
struggle against clone trends
Aneya
Fernando
Like
most little girls, I wanted to grow up
to look just like my mother. But by 10,
I realized that dream would never happen.
You see, while my mother is a petite woman, only 5 foot 3 inches or so, I,
at 10, was already 5 foot 6 inches and lanky. I have hazel eyes and cinnamon
skin. My hair is big, dark and curly. My mom, on the other hand, has porcelain
skin, clear blue eyes and bouncy blonde hair. Basically, she is my complete
opposite.
People sometimes mistake me for being adopted, which drives me insane, because
if you look closely at my parents, you’ll see a little bit of both of
them in me. My father is tall, dark and Sri Lankan. My mother is short, white
and American. Talk about opposites attracting, huh?
When I was young, I hated looking different. For many years I fantasized about
having blue eyes and long, straight blonde hair. I wanted my skin to be white
and my ears to be smaller. I wanted a lot of things.
Then I realized I could never change myself, and trying to would get me nowhere.
Today, I’m happy with the way I look and I wouldn’t change myself
for anything.
I know what you’re thinking. So what? What do I care? How is this an
opinion column?
Well, in today’s society, the need to change yourself is huge. It’s
frightening how many nose jobs and brow lifts and Botox injections happen a
day in Hollywood. Celebrities are constantly changing their hair color, their
weight or their image. It influences so many young girls out there to change
themselves, too. Celebrities make it seem glamorous to try and be something
you’re not.
I see so many young women around this campus who all look the same — same
hair style, same oversized designer sunglasses, all wearing the same trends
with that same self-deprecating attitude.
Ever heard of individualism? Of being unique? One of a kind? I know joining
cliques, sororities and frats is fun. It’s nice to have things in common
with people.
But it gets out of control sometimes, especially when everyone looks like clones
of one another. I just hope one day people will realize being an individual
doesn’t make you a freak. It just makes you you. And that’s all
you should ever strive to be.
Aneya Fernando is a freshman journalism major.
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