Now That the Ugly Sweaters Are Put Away, Shame On You

As a child, I was bullied.

This meant that when wearing a Rudolph sweater, I was made fun of. I was made fun of for wearing the Santa shirts, the snowflake pants and any winter hat that resembled any form of holiday cheer.

Chances are, many of you were, too.

These days, from Thanksgiving through New Years, “ugly sweaters”—including everything from Santa with a censored crotch shot to Rudolph pooping on a toilet—are worn by beautiful people all over the world. That’s right—the sweaters we wore as bullied children are now proudly worn as trends.

Unless those now beautiful people were once bullied, shame on them. Those are our damn sweaters. We are the ones who took the beating because our moms forcefully made us wear them. They are ours—stick to your cashmere sweaters, punks.

Now, of course, I am slightly kidding. But I do find it interesting that certainly things that caused pain to many of us as children are now considered cool. Even kids who loved Star Wars were considered “dorks.” Now, it’s pretty damn cool to be a fan of the franchise.

Maybe the bullied, the dorky and the nerdy were all ahead of the trend. Maybe they are really the trend setters and the beautiful people are the thieves. Regardless, this should teach us a valuable lesson, myself included—don’t make fun of things we don’t understand. Just because we don’t understand something, that doesn’t make it wrong. We are all made up of different types of DNA, and what’s weird for some may be the key to happiness for others.

I could cross-apply this to the current political race. Someone who loves Donald Trump isn’t necessarily a dork or a nerd. Perhaps the beautiful people will someday love Trump, too. Even one’s sexuality was a cause for bullying, and now, thanks to people who fought for their right to love despite the fact that many didn’t understand it, gay marriage is legal and approved in many parts of our country.

Our world has become way too insensitive and sensitive at the same time.

When you see the next sweater that’s ugly to you, don’t say anything. When you disagree with someone’s political beliefs, don’t say anything. When you want to poke fun at someone’s sexual choices, don’t say anything. Be careful with the fights you choose and you will likely walk a friendlier path in life.

Now, stop wearing my sweater.