"Am I pretty?" My aspect/rant on crooked teeth

I hate it when my galfriends ask other boys, "Am I ugly?" It gets really annoying because the boy feels pressured to say, "Of course not," lest the girl's feelings will get hurt. But no one should ever put themselves down, if only for a minute, just to have others tell them something that they themselves do not believe.

I never thought of myself as pretty. But I never thought that I was ugly, either. I understand how healthy self esteem can be (or not be), so I do try to apply it to most of my everyday life. Crooked teeth is one of the most aggravating problems of myself that I have ever experienced. People always always always always ask me when I'm going to get braces. Always. It is sooooo annoying. "You think I don't see this face every time I look in the mirror?!" I want to shout at them. "You don't think I want braces, either?!"

Please don't be that person. You know who you are. You should at least learn what that person is going through before going to any assumptions about them, at all. For me, my family can't afford braces at the moment. But don't give me pity. I'm almost proud of my ridiculously crooked teeth because it's something unique about me. (This is what going to middle school with crooked teeth does to you T__T)

But please, for the sake of some else's self esteem, do not:
          a) ask when they are getting braces
          b) ask why they don't have braces
          c) say, "Your teeth are crooked."
          d) say, "You have crooked teeth."
          e) say, "Wow, your teeth are really crooked."
          f) point out their crooked teeth
          g) stare at their crooked teeth
          h) CARE about their crooked teeth

In fact, don't even think about it! If you are really SO disturbed by their mouth and SO cannot live without being nosy and wondering about their dental lives, then walk away. You don't know how much better you would make someone else's day. Maybe even compliment their teeth! (I know that a dental compliment is one thing that I have never received) Do the unthinkable. (In a nice way, of course.)

I myself believe that I have a good and friendly personality. (Of course, in the rules of some girls' lives, this is boastful to say. Well, I'M sorry that I'm not following some of your rules. In MY rulebook, I can say whatever I want about myself, as long as it's nothing YOU've ever said.) And this means that you -- as in YOU, you there, reading this post -- YOU should not judge anyone, however they look. Don't even think about it. Please. You could really make someone's day by not judging them. I'm serious.

Haha. Sorry if this post was longer than usual. I just have a lot to say on the subject. I hope you get my message.

Tara signing off.

Smile. (: