My Glow Up Journey As an Ugly Friend...

"For just once,
I would like to be the poem

and not the poet."

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About me:

Hi, my name is Yixin and I'm a researcher at Keio University in HCI on supporting introspective training.

My life used to be full of rejections: from school, friends, my crush and workplaces. But everything changed as I gradually made progress on my personal growth journey. Now I can proudly say that no rejection can take me down anymore, I began to accept myself and grateful to be surrounded by wonderful things and people.

One thing I realized is that, the world didn't change - I did. so here I am, wanting to share my journey with you because I know there are still a lot of people struggling like me.

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Glow & Grow with me.

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Timestamps:

[0:00]my insecurities
[0:21]growing up as the "ugly" friend
[2:05]How cosplay helped me
[2:34]When did I become the "pretty" one
[3:28]I was a JOKE to everyone
[5:15]Learn to Accept
[5:31]The most important thing in my makeup
[6:01]What I wanna share

To Our New Start!

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i do not own any of the music used in this video
tags:
glow up, personal growth, girlstalk, girlspower, insecurities, asian aesthetic, asian beauty, prettyprivilege, positivitiy, transformation, latebloomer

[Maxi.Dounut]

If you have real good friends, you probably don’t notice or even care wether you are «ugly» or not. You are just a friend among friends.
I was the «ugly» friend in my friend group in school, but I didn’t reflect on this or even notice it until I begun college and videos on glow ups showed up all over SO.
Real friends doesn’t care about how you look, they just want to be with you because you are you.

[coollittlebinch]

I honestly think that most teenagers are insecure but the difference is that some chose to put others down to make themselves feel better whilst the others don't make it other people's problems.

[xen]

if she was the ugly friend then i don't even know what i am

[LorienzoDeGarcia]

You were not ugly.
Let me repeat it: YOU WERE NOT UGLY. YOU LOOKED DECENT.

GOD the freaking unrealistic expectations and pressure today have warped our young girls' minds!! UGH.

Either way, I am sorry you were made to feel that way. You looked decent and you look good now, no doubt with the effort you put in.

Don't care for the haters - A universal message. Easier said than done, but I hope all of you out there can march through this intact. No one needs to be made to feel bad about themselves because some shitty people out there want to feel better about themselves at the expense of others.

[-Roses]

You got me at "cutting my hair short" so "people won't compare me". I went through similiar experience in high school because of low self-esteem. Sometimes, I think people are so insecure that they project their insecurity on the others just because you actually got the genuine beauty and you can elevate yourself to the next level. I appreciate to hear how you overcome in your personal journey. Thank you for sharing similar experience.

[felipearcangelofrancatto]

I think you were beautiful before too, and your teeth and smile makes you prettier and charming.

[merrimerrio]

same for me but growing up fat it's soo traumatizing in east asian culture

[sara.the.muggle]

I was not pretty growing up, but in my circumstance, I believe it was a good thing because at the school I was going to, the pretty girls were being taken advantage of by disgusting and perverted teachers and youth pastors. Since I was ugly, they weren't interested in me. Also, boys didn't want to date me, and I felt sad about that, but looking at it now, I'm glad that I didn't get involved in dating as a teen because it was a lot more fun to discover what I liked and hang out with my friends. I was too immature to date and get into "risky" and uncomfortable situations. Yixin, you are gorgeous. Thank you for the lovely video.

[uglygeguri]

i truly believe no one is actually ugly. A lot of people just dont have the confidence to try something new with their look and overtime they just get more and more insecure comparing themself to others

[edit: my point in this is not just makeup and completely change yourself; i mean simple things like a new haircut, or wearing something that makes you feel confident]

[Onnyon]

I am so sorry for you girls having to struggle with your own skin tone and appearance. As a Brazilian woman, 32 yo, it makes me really sad. I know how aesthetic pressure is and how it makes our own insecurities grow.
I make a daily exercise trying to see beauty in every part of my body, maybe it can help you girls a little, and maybe the real glow up comes from the way we begin to see ourselves, with more confidence. I used to hate my nose, my long hands, my rabbit teeth, my feet, my thighs. And I believe it's someone's point of view fault: "we need to look thinner, we need to be feminine, we can't never be ourselves and have always to be trying to hide our feelings and the way we think". I just can hope the world change and people become more real 😢💜

[alvincheng]

Your cheeks are prefect for your future partner to pinch! 😊
Hope you find the one that will accept you totally, including when without makeup!

[daniazaman]

Toxic beauty standards in our society makes people believe that they're ugly and whatsoever, or something as ugly-people exist. The concept of "Glow-up" is loving yourself, not fitting other's beauty standards. If they don't accept you the way your are, it's their issue, not yours! You're not the problem, they just can't see the beauty in differences, and the beautiful differences we humans have. Pls stop trying to fit into other's beauty standards. Sending lots of love to all my girlies. 💌♡

[vanakkamgi]

Women are so much more than just their looks Omg. We’re PEOPLE. HUMANS. We have talents to explore, growth to experience etc. Not just sit and look pretty.

[natashahowes]

That girl was so mean, it honestly breaks my heart how people can be so cruel. You are a beautiful soul both internally and externally. I feel when someone is a beautiful person internally, it enhances their outward beauty ❤

[zhenly]

wow this was so nice to watch! i’m half chinese and half european so i was always surrounded by the asian (extreme) beauty standard because of family and friends. i grew up in europe and when i was younger i was one of the only asian people in my school so i ended up being picked on quite a lot, they would call me racist nicknames and pull their eyes back to look smaller, so in that way i was never really called pretty either. in europe i was too chinese and in china i was too european, so i never really had a place to belong. it was really hard for me growing up because i wanted to fit both of the beauty standards. but now that i’m older i’ve kind of just learnt to accept who i am and that as long as i think i’m pretty i’m happy😊 this video really resonated with me, i’m really happy i watched it, thank you so much for sharing your story!

[ghettoshecky]

This is such a heartwarming story. Tbh I only started to follow you because I thought you were beautiful and totally had the look that I like. Then I started regularly watching your IG reels because they were so informative on Japanese culture and you seemed well travelled. It’s actually shocking to me that you were considered ugly and teased so much back in your younger days. It’s really inspiring to see you overcome all the bullying and now have so many followers admiring you. I bet a lot of the boys that wrote you off as ugly back in high school are now probably like me and are creepers following beautiful girls like you on social media 😂.

[mikimousey]

oh my goodness, i would kill to have cheeks like yours theyre so adorable. I cant believe people were so mean to you you were and are so pretty naturally.

[minari]

super real on the asian beauty standard, im embracing my south east asian tan skin so much more now though :) thank you so much for sharing, im so glad that you're happy with how you present yourself now <3

[hankhillsdisappointedsigh]

I think you look best at 0:12. You have so much natural beauty! As an American who usually finds east Asian faces the most attractive (men & women) the beauty standards there seem so strange. I think slightly broader face looks good and cute on women. And I don't understand the heavy lower eye makeup. You have wonderful eyes! That style just makes women look like mannequins.

[eggshelleytheegg]

girl, it felt like you were re-telling my childhood with the short lashes, chubby face, awkward teeth, having to dress less girly, and getting tricked into thinking your crush liked you back thing. The only thing is that I'm honestly still struggling to become "pretty", or at least grow my self confidence