by F.M

Created on: May 17, 2009   Last Updated: May 18, 2009

I spent 7 yrs of my life as an ugly duckling.

At the tender age of 12, I understood that if you looked like Megan Fox but had an I.Q of a plant, you could have all the perks in life. You don't need to wait in line like the rest of us to get into a club. Once you are in the club, you don't need to pay for your drinks. If you are willing to sit through some ugly guy's monologue about himself and those infamous Q&A's, your drinks are paid for.

The rest of us don't get a monologue and we certainly don't get into the club like you do. We wait in the cold and no matter how much we beg or even bargain with the bouncer, are ugly butts aren't getting in.

My ugly duckling story begins in high school. Yes, my 7yrs as an ugly duckling occurred during the most crucial years of my life: adolescence! I was skinny; no, actually I was lanky. Lanky as in, nothing really fit. While my breasts were developed, my body didn't follow suit. My arms were much longer than my legs. My legs, more like my sticks, were dreadfully bony and many feared that I had an eating disorder. My body was battling Mother Nature and my wobbly knees were part of the battle.

My parents didn't have a lot of money so I couldn't cover my physical deformities. I wore sneakers that were two sizes bigger than my feet so that my parents wouldn't need to buy me another pair. I wore over-sized glasses so my parents wouldn't need to buy me another pair. I wore oversize clothes so that my parents wouldn't need to buy me new clothes...catch my drift?

Again, my battle with puberty occurred in high school and at the center of my debacle were my looks. I could not sit at the popular kids' table. I certainly couldn't talk to them so I was forced to mingle with the ugly ducklings. Let me get this straight, India's caste system is unacceptable, but when high school kids do it, its part of life? Just saying!

Much like every other ugly duckling, I didn't want to be the target of amusement. But as a social being, I had to do things to keep myself relevant.

There's one thing Barbara Walters has that many of those women in "the top 100 list of most beautiful people in the world" might not have. I'll give you a clue. Its starts with a P. You guessed it...its a PERSONALITY! Yes, through my ugly duckling years, unlike my beautiful peers, since I didn't have the looks, I had to have a personality.

I joined my high school newspapers, the volleyball team, and the school's radio station. I also had a sense of humor and I was also

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