I met my art teacher Ms. J in the seventh grade and she changed me.
In her first class, she encouraged us to 1 what art meant. During the discussion about facial structure and paintings, she 2 the "golden ratio (黄金比例)", a beauty standard and explained how Da Vinci applied it to his works to ensure they were visually (视觉上) attractive.
I couldn't help but think that if my 3 had been measured against the "golden ratio", my score would have been low.
I was born with a facial disfigurement (缺陷) and my face looked 4 . After several appointments with 5 , my face was changed many times with little improvement. I 6 seeing myself in the mirror.
People's strange words and curious expressions kept telling me that I was different. Worse still, my photo appeared in a magazine with big letters "Face similar to works of Picasso" right below. I felt 7 .
I told Ms. J about my 8 and how my face was compared to Picasso's painting.
"Art isn't about what you see but about what you 9 ." She comforted me and told me that our 10 appearances were our signatures that we left in the world, which set us 11 and made us beautiful. And then she showed me a picture of an old man with long white hair. "You see, Da Vinci doesn't look too pretty, but his works 12 beauty on us," she added.
I was touched by her words, and I wondered why I had never thought this way.
"Being compared to Picasso may seem like a shame, but it's a(n) 13 . You are unique and you are a masterpiece."
Today, when I look into the mirror, I will remember the words of my teacher, "Beauty is subjective" and I get to know my appearance is my 14 .
It takes me years to 15 that beauty is more than a cold calculation.
