Grade 8, Malvern High
There was a girl named Karabelo. She usually felt invisible and unloved all because of her looks. From a young age, Karabelo was bullied because of her ‘hideous’ huge nose. This made her hate herself. Karabelo was always lonely as many girls in her class thought she was too “ugly” to be friends with, but one girl wanted to be her friend, Nobuhle. Nobuhle really wanted to ben friends with Karabelo. The two then became friends.
One day, Karabelo’s past repeated itself. As she was going through the corridors some girls were laughing at her and teased her about her looks. She hated herself even more. Now with COVID-19, wearing a mask was mandatory. Karabelo saw it as an advantage. Karabelo would wear a mask around people not only to protect her from this deadly virus but to hide her “hideous looks”. She only felt comfortable taking off her mask when Nobuhle was there.
One day Nobuhle realised what she was doing and decided to confront her about it. Nobuhle told her that she was very beautiful and that she mustn’t listen to people as people have many opinions. Before, Karabelo thought Nobuhle was saying this because she was a beautiful girl but Karabelo thought deeply about this. She started loving herself and boosted her self-esteem.
She now looks beautiful inside and out, with or without a mask!