Hey everyone! Aquagerl here, (again) hoping to get published one more time, as this is a topic I have a very strong opinion about.
One day I was hanging out in the City Hall Auditorium when all the girls that were there wanted to have a beauty contest. In other words, they wanted to rate you on your looks and then place you in either first place or last place. Now, these beauty contests WERE normal for me, I used to think they were fun. Then, however, I got to thinking, what characteristics of people are we really valuing here?
Now, I'm not saying you can't have your beauty contests anymore -- you can have as many as you want for all I care. It's just that some people take the way your little cartoon person looks WAY too seriously. I mean, some people will actually get upset if they lose these little beauty contests, even if there isn't a prize! Come on, people! It's just a stupid contest that's completely based on the opinion of one person! Either lighten up or don't participate at all, because when it all comes down to it, it really doesn't matter if everyone else thinks your little person is pretty or not. It only matters if YOU think you're pretty!
This brings me to the topic that sometimes makes me just want to shake my head: online dating! I find this a stupid and possibly dangerous way to get a girlfriend/boyfriend. Firstly, most of the time that people date over the internet, especially on Whyville, they completely miss the purpose of dating. I've actually been asked out by some guy who said he wanted me to be his girlfriend because I was hot. Okay, let's get this straight: you like me because my little Whyville person is HOT? I'm extremely insulted if you presume that my only good quality is that the little cartoon person I use to walk around on some website is pretty.
This might come as a BIG surprise to some of you, but there is a lot more to a person than their looks, especially if you happen to be judging them by some little cartoon character. I mean, come on, you have to admit that's pretty pathetic. Oh, and to some of you out there who are actually disappointed that you don't have a girlfriend or a boyfriend on Whyville... get a life! This isn't a pick-up joint!
Now, I know I said online dating is dangerous and I know some of you may disagree with this, but hear me out. I believe that dating over the net can be dangerous because face it, if you've never met the person, that means you cannot really know everything about them. Anyone can easily pretend to be someone they're not for as long as they want. Let's say two people are 'dating' on Whyville. They think they've gotten to know each other pretty well and they both 'happen' to live in the same city. One suggests they meet, the other agrees. They arrange a place to meet up and maybe take their relationship outside of the internet. The only problem is that one is thirty years old and dangerous, and the other person believes that they're both just kids. The real kid could end up getting hurt, or worse. It has happened before and don't think I'm lying, because City Hall, the Times Editor, and any police officer you care to ask backs me up on this. The people you talk to over the internet could be anybody!
I guess what I'm saying is that you can have your beauty contests for all I care: just don't take them seriously! You can have a girlfriend or a boyfriend on Whyville: just be careful! Oh, and never, EVER judge someone by their looks. It doesn't matter whether you like how their little cartoon person looks or not, and it doesn't matter how someone looks in real life, because it's what's on the inside that counts.
Remember: *There is no ugly, there is only different, and to be different is a beautiful thing.*
-aquagerl
