GETTING YOUNGER

After coming to Korea and staying here for almost two years, my friends and family started saying how much younger I look now comparing to 2-3 years ago.I didn't really take those words to heart but I guess the change was surprisingly so apparent that last winter when I went back home people recognised right away that I was my mum's daughter where before most of them usually mistook me as her sister.

I don't understand. I don't really do aegyo (you can google what aegyo or 애교is), on the top of that throughout the years I pretty much noticed how much I've grown (emotionally, if not psychically, sadly no matter how hard I tried I couldn't get any taller), so obviously it's not related with how I behave. However, I found the reason after an hour of scrolling through my photo gallery; I simply dress differently.

Back in Indonesia my world revolved around stage-performances, attending formal events, meeting and interacting with all kind of people. So I was often in my make ups and heels. When one is in that kind of environment, it's not entirely wrong to say that at some point, instead of dressing up to express oneself, one started dressing up to conform to the social expectations and norms. A people-pleaser, one was.

But here I am, currently reevaluating some of my basic values and unlearning a lot of things.

I rediscover the joy of spending time thinking what clothes would best express my current self the moment I stop trying so hard to create a sophisticated projection of me.

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Picture: Yong Kamila/ Brush: Stella Nikiko / Location: Bugahyeon-dong, Seoul, South Korea