Pretty or Bright - what you prefer to be called?

Once someone asked me, what you would prefer for people to call you, pretty one or bright one?

Without much hesitate I said pretty one

Then she asked why? Your such an intelligent person.

According to her, she would prefer people calling her bright one. Its cos when she was young she was the pretty one in class or neighborhood or anywhere she goes. She is from Austria, her mother is from Korea, so she was the mixed kid with a pretty face.

Thereon I gave a thought about it. Why?

I am a beautiful and intelligent person. (those people who know about me would know better) why would I prefer to be called pretty rather than bright?  

At a young age, I was the girl with no identity. I was dark skin and I had mosquito wounds all over my hands and legs. My mom used to put a lot of white powder on me to make me light skinned. I was the girls who are covered in full cloths because I had wounds all over me.

Once, in an evening we were going around visiting people.  While we were in a group of people, one said “ Haddha dhon koffa”,  ( why so much artificial whiteness? ) Than My mom said, “in this world, we need to be pretty and white to get a husband”.  

Then told me, “Daughter study as much as you can and become a recognized person, so that you can get a husband”  

My mother is beautiful and white skin person. She is a very strong person. But I don’t know why she had such mentality. Maybe in those days, they believed that is true. That’s the culture we were following. My mom wouldn’t even know that I have those words stuck in my mind so deeply.

In my teens, you know the age of becoming a woman I became recognizable as a girl, but I was so much into my studies I didn’t give an interest to any of that girly stuff.  I was this girl who was good in study, sports, and extracurricular activities. I was a friend to others rather than a girlfriend.

Over the years, I focused myself in studies and beauty came to me naturally (Masha ‘Allah). Now that I have the brain and beauty - what makes me happy?

But for now, If anyone is interested in me cos of beauty, I don’t like it. I want that person to know my mind. I want to know people mind rather than their physical appearances.