Malaysian students who sat for the Malaysian Certificate of Education (SPM) examination in 2016 were a bundle of nerves on the morning of 16th of March 2017, myself included. Results are out, questions abound over who failed, who didn’t, and who got straight A’s. Even though the overall performance was quite good, out of 434,535 candidates who sat for the examination, only 8,647 scored straight A’s, compared to 9,721 students in 2015.
Among these amazing students is a young woman named Natasha Qisty Mohd Ridzuan, who scored a straight A+ in the examination. You would think that everyone would be focusing on her excellent results, right? But, nope. Not in this country. In this country, when a girl achieves something great, we completely put that aside and focus on a much bigger ‘issue’ instead. Her f–ing appearance.
An interview with state news agency Bernama came shortly after receiving her results, and instead of being acclaimed as a success after appearing on live TV, she has had to posthaste deal with censure and criticism from many Malaysians just because she wore makeup. Yes, you read that right. She was condemned merely for wearing makeup and for speaking English with a foreign accent. The entire ordeal was outright ridiculous, that her former batchmate felt the need to speak out, and said that Natasha has always been pretty with and without makeup, and she’s supportive and helpful too.
Over the years, I’ve come to realise that most Malaysians feel the constant burning need to criticise a girl’s appearance, no matter the circumstance. Why? Why do we completely disregard a girl’s achievements and pick on her visage instead? Who cares if her makeup is thick? Who cares if she did not use makeup at all? It’s time for everyone to realise that what a girl does to her face or body is entirely her prerogative.
This issue goes beyond rebuking a young girl for wearing makeup. How do we expect to grow into a better nation, if a girl can’t even attain success without a bunch of lowlifes nipping at her heels?
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