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and make a child feel badly about himself or herself. Hopefully, by making a child feel guilty and bad, he perhaps would change his actions. Instead, he merely grows up feeling guilty or badly about everything.

Children put labels on other children because it is a bullying tactic. Or with parents it may be one of verbal abuse. Name-calling gives power over another child whom another child deems as unworthy. Oftentimes it is the bully who feels his lowly self-worth. By labeling his peers, he is venting his anger, frustrations at other children by calling them nerds, dwibs, jerks. At times calling other children names comes as sheer jealousy. They have what you don't have.

Parents inadvertently label their offspring as the good one, the smart one, the good-looking one, the one with the personality. It's human nature. Ironically, some of these labels have actually helped some of us to excel in spite of the labels.

I was labeled with the word "ugly" because when I became an adolescent, I was skinny, awkward and wore glasses. When I was young, I was labeled "cute" but that changed with puberty. As a result I had such low self-esteem, I could never look anyone in the eyes because I did not feel attractive. This feeling followed me throughout my adult life. I fought with it, I lashed out in anger, and eventually got rid of the sadness. Instead, I focused my life on being the brainy one in the family. I studied hard, and made high marks and became the first to graduate from university. I was proud of myself for that accomplishment.

So beauty was never a driving force in my life. I did not spend hours in front of the mirror every day. Because of that label, it made me a better person and developed my character to hate things that are superficial and develop a life that had some substance.

In a survey which involved dozens of small school children, they were asked " Which would your rather have, brains or beauty?" and in every case, brains was the definitive answer.

In closing, being a petite woman, and belonging to a minority group, I have been labeled with shortness, racial bias, and gender discrimination and when that happens it brings out the fight in me, and in many people who have written about the dangers of labeling, all have said that we can rise above that stigma and live to see another day.

Learn more about this author, A. Major.
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