I used to be that girl who hid solely behind makeup. Even when I was just running errands, I wore heavy makeup—not to highlight my beauty, but to cover what my true face looked like. I wore a nose mask, even if it didn't match the occasion. Imagine wearing a nose mask to a wedding and standing out like a clown — crazy, right?
Did I mention the specific hairstyles I chose? I never styled my hair without covering at least half of my face. I even used my mom's wig just so I could style it to hide half of my face.
I started avoiding outings, which led to distance between my friends and me. My friend circle kept shrinking because I felt like the leech—everyone had nice faces, while I had a face full of acne.
All of this took a toll on my mental health, but I still pretended to be fine. I would never let my parents catch me crying. I smiled in front of people and cried alone in my room.
I never appeared in pictures and didn't like being complimented because it felt more like an insult. I had already erased the word "pretty" from my life. I believed I could never be pretty.