There were so many things about me that I wished I could
change. I used to wake up in the morning, look in the mirror and notice all the
disappointing details about me that I hated; such as my nose that curved
downwards instead of upwards, my overly curly and puffy red hair, my big round
black eyes, and, to my utmost disgrace, my weight that could not keep up with
the beautiful models in magazines. As if my physical appearance was not bad
enough, everything else non-physical about me was flawed. There was something
about the way I spoke, or perhaps thought, that somehow no one seemed to
understand. Every time I made a comment during an ongoing discussion between my
friends or family, everyone’s gazes would suddenly freeze on me, trying to
figure out what planet I had fallen from. I was tired of disappointing people
and not being able to fit in. My style, opinions and ideas always seemed normal
and logical to me, but somehow, I also came to think of myself as a Martian
living on the wrong planet. I kept wishing I was more outgoing and fun to be
with, that I could talk about everyday things like normal people, and most of
all, that I could have friends who understood me and accepted me, rather than
convinced themselves to endure my weirdness because “I had many good sides
too”. But that was me before going to the magical place called “The Bridge of
Changes”.
The Bridge of
Changes was an extremely long and colorful bridge, located in the Southern
hemisphere, that connected two islands-Before and After. For people like me, it
was a place where dreams came true, a place where we could literally become
anyone we wanted; our physical appearance could be adjusted, even our
personality types and talents could be altered. To go there, we would have to
be at least 18, buy some really expensive tickets for a cruise that would take
us to Before Island. From there we would enter the Bridge and eventually come
out onto After Island, from where the cruise would take us back. The place was
so popular, that millions of people visited it every year, which created the
necessity for long waiting lists. So after waiting for what felt like a
lifetime, at last I found myself aweing at the magical sight of The Bridge of
Changes. The entrance was enormous and on top of it there were large letters
that formed the words,
“Enter as the person you are,
Leave as the person of your dreams!”
The words thrilled me, as I’m sure it did to each and every
person in the enormous crowd gathered there, waiting for the glorious moment
when the gates would open. There began to arise a new hope and excitement in me
that soon I would become someone people would love and accept; someone I would
love and accept.
Suddenly, a
beautiful and elegant woman with long silky hair rose up to the stage near the
entrance and began to speak. “Greetings, my friends. I know how long you have
all been waiting for this moment, for I was once where you are now, anxious to
become irresistibly beautiful and successful, popular and well-liked by others.
I dreamed of coming to the Bridge of Changes, and now,” she paused for a smile,
“I run this place.” Everyone cheered and applauded. “I will not delay this long
anticipated moment for any of you, so I will begin with a few instructions. You
will notice that your tickets have different colors.” Mine was turquoise. “As
you enter the Bridge, please find the ticket check points that have the color
of your ticket. When you pass through it, you will find your group leader, who
will guide you on this life-changing journey. Don’t worry about recognizing
them; they will be completely dressed in the color of your ticket! You may
begin this journey as soon as the gates open. May you enter as the person you
are and leave as the person of your dreams!” As she said that, she smiled once
again and stepped down from the stage, accompanied by the cheers and applaud of
a most excited and happy crowd. Soon enough, we heard the sound of the gates opening and the whole crowd raced to enter. When my turn finally came, I saw the endless row of the colorful ticket check points. I wasn’t even aware that so many colors existed! After a bit of searching and making my way through the crowd, I finally found myself passing through the turquoise ticket check point. My heart beat fast at the realization that I was officially on the Bridge of Changes! As promised, I had no difficulty finding my team gathered around our turquoise tour guide, who warmly greeted us and introduced himself as Clark. He introduced us to the rules; like we had to wait in line-ups and could go through each procedure only once. He then presented the stages of the Bridge, which, in order to save time, I will present to you as we get to them. Although I think that no one in their excitement heard a word he said, they nevertheless nodded to indicate that they understood everything and were ready to begin.
Part 2
Apparently, the Bridge consisted of two main sections-the
Alterations of the Outer Looks and the Alterations of the Inner-Self. As we
found ourselves in the first stage of the Outer Alterations, I stood in awe at the
size of the hall filled with hundreds of people forming line-ups in front of
human-shaped machines that served colored liquids. Clark explained that this
was the place where we could choose the exact color we wanted for our hair,
eyes, and skin. All we had to do was insert our choices into the machines and
we would receive glass cups that were divided into three parts. Each part would
be filled with a liquid with the exact color of our choice-one would be the
color of the eyes, the other the color of the hair, and the other of the skin.
As we drank the liquids, those colors would be applied onto our bodies and the
results would remain permanently (unless, of course, we decided to come back to
the Bridge and undergo the process again). How exciting was that! As I was
anxiously waiting in a line, I dreamed of being redeemed of the redness of my
hair. I imagined myself with beautiful straight blonde hair. As I observed the
other people finally getting to the machines that would make their dreams come
true, I began to notice some patterns in their choices. Many came with black,
different shades of brown and occasionally with red hair, and almost all left
with blonde, and rushed with excitement to the self-reflecting walls to admire
their new looks. They came with hazel, brown or black eyes, and left with
different shades of blue and green; always blue and green. That is when I began
to pay attention to the fact that all the enormous advertisements throughout
the room presented blonde and blue-eyed models, looking so perfect and
confident in their looks. And only then did I begin to wonder whether the
similarity in our preferences and the source of our standards for beauty were
highly influenced by them.
“Ms.?” Someone
behind me cut the line of my thoughts. I turned around and saw a young man
looking at me. “It’s your turn,” he said. I couldn’t believe it! Had my turn
really come? Was I really standing in front of the machine that could make me
love myself every time I looked into the mirror? Was the chance for me to
become beautiful really in my grasp?I nervously began browsing on the screen for the colors I wanted and found the exact shade of blonde, the Caribbean blue that I wanted, and a perfectly tanned skin-tone. I was one button away from getting the liquids I needed. I held my hand over the “submit” button but I just couldn’t bring myself to press it. Do you really want to become what you’ve been told is beautiful? I heard a voice echoing inside my head. “Ms.?” The crowd behind me was getting impatient. What you’ve been told is beautiful. I looked back and smiled at the guy behind me. “I’m done.” He looked at me as if I was crazy (I can’t say I wasn’t used to that look). “Good luck.” I told him as I walked away, not having pressed the button.
I found Clark and
joined him in waiting for the rest of our group to gather up. I don’t think he
remembered me or what I used to look like; nevertheless, he looked quite
surprised that someone had passed this stage and came out as a red-head. By the
look on his face, I could tell he was thinking that whether I was crazy enough
to leave my hair red or turn it into red, the fact was, I was crazy. But he
said nothing to me and I thought it pointless to bring it up. As soon as all
the members of our group, no longer recognizable, gathered up, we moved on to
the next stage. We climbed up a few stairs, walked through a large pink door
and found ourselves in another hall with the words
“Get the body you want
In the time that you have”
written on its walls. Clark no longer needed to explain the
purpose of this stage, but some instructions would be necessary. He drew our
attention to the long line of booths. He explained that we would all get a
device on which we would create the model of the body we wanted as we waited in
line. We would be able to create everything-from the shape of our nose to the
size of our body. As soon as our turn would come to enter the booth, we would
install the device into the booth and enter. In no more than ten minutes, we
would step out of the booth looking like the models on our devices. Part 3
As I was standing
in line, I remembered how excited I had been at the thought that I could
actually have a beautifully slim body with long wavy hair and a cute little
nose that gently curved upwards. And now the device to obtain those looks was
in my hands and I just couldn’t bring myself to turn it on. Why is it that being skinny is considered
attractive? I heard a voice in my head say. Who decided that having a down-curve on your nose is a defect? Who says
that you are imperfect because you are not a copied version of what society
praises? And then the final question that came to me was all I needed to
make up my mind. Do you really want to
sacrifice your uniqueness to fit into some standard of beauty that has been
decided for you? That was the final push that I needed. I dropped the
device and began running against the line-up and somehow succeeded in finding
Clark. “Excuse me,” I
managed to say as I tried to catch my breath. “Can you show me the way out?”
“Do you need to use the washroom, Ms.?” He asked.
“No, sir. I want to exit the Bridge. I am finished.”
His eyebrows rose up as he took a moment to check if I was serious. “Are you sure? I mean, we haven’t even gone to the Inner Alterations yet and-“
"I’m sure.” I
smiled. He took another moment to overcome his shock before explaining to me
how to find my way to the exit. It was a long walk. I passed by all the stages
that I was going to miss out on and occasionally I began to wonder if I was
making the right choice. But I felt such freedom and happiness inside! After
asking around for directions and getting a million staring faces, I took my
first step out of the Bridge and unto After Island. I came out of the Bridge of
Changes a completely new person. It’s true, nothing physical or visible had
changed in me, but the way I saw myself had been revolutionized, and that’s the
only change that I really needed. I decided that from that point on, I would be
my own criteria of beauty, I would not sacrifice my uniqueness to fit into some
social standard, and, most of all, I would love myself, because if I didn’t, no
amount of alterations and “improvements” would change that!“Do you need to use the washroom, Ms.?” He asked.
“No, sir. I want to exit the Bridge. I am finished.”
His eyebrows rose up as he took a moment to check if I was serious. “Are you sure? I mean, we haven’t even gone to the Inner Alterations yet and-“
