I’m that girl. The one that does a full face of makeup almost every single day. Head to the grocery store? I will look like I’m headed to the prom. Going to the gym? I’ll look like I’m going to a ball. The process of putting on my makeup is a therapeutic, anxiety-reducing action that I have added to my daily routine, and I’ve never been happier. However, there is that occasional day that I walk out of the house with a fresh face—one of these days being just last week. My experiences during that 24 hour period taught me something, and here it is:

People are creatures of habit. We are judgmental, discriminatory beasts afraid of anything that slightly wavers from our conception of normal. We have been that way since the beginning of time, and despite all of the war and turmoil that has resulted, we still cannot shake this habit.

On a normal day, when my hair and makeup (which can take up to two hours to finish) is done, I smile at everyone and receive reciprocation. Kind strangers will spark conversations with me, sales associates will constantly attempt to assist me in any way. These days are full of casual, kind encounters that are emotionally stimulating—and medically proven to be necessary for healthy living.

Last Sunday was your typical lazy end to the weekend, so when my mom asked me to go shopping with her I simply brushed my hair and threw on a sweater. No makeup, no hair product, no cute top/leggings combination. I was 100% natural. Sadly I am not at all exaggerating when I tell you that the people I encountered were ruder to me than ever before. I had to beg associates to help me in two different stores, and after gaining their assistance both were blatantly rude and disrespectful. When it was time to eat, the hostess was not any better. I was not in a bad mood, so I certainly did not give off a negative vibe. I was my normal, exuberant, talkative self. The only difference between that day and any other day was my face. It wasn’t until I got home that I realized the bizarre treatment was due to my looks.

It occurred to me that this one day was what some people experience every day, tenfold. This shunning, this disrespect, this blatant mistreatment is some people’s normal. The smallest thing you do differently will immediately get you blacklisted in today’s society. It’s almost 2017, we have grown in so many ways, why not grow as compassionate and accepting humans? Our resolution for the New Year should be acceptance. Learning to love others and their differences-- and teaching our friends to do the same-- will spark a trend, and in sparking this trend we will change how countless people experience life.