Your feature on ‘lookism’ and teasing (Personnel Today, 8 May) demonstrates that we are all subject to some teasing at some point, and surely as long as it is friendly and not malicious, that should be OK.
Unless you are dark-haired, not bald, are not overweight or under-weight, have no accent, dress perfectly in everyone’s eyes, are of average height, have neither large nor small breasts and are not ginger, you will have been teased. Of course, people will tease you for what you do, as well as how you do it, or how you look, so a balanced person should realise that everyone gets teased occasionally.
I have been teased about having a posh accent (not Eton, just grammar school), and it is actually a way of understanding how people see you – their assumptions and, perhaps, their misconceptions.
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Let’s not get too hung-up about it – you wouldn’t want to be teased for being too sensitive, after all.
Simon Spindler, founder, People and Performance Coaching
