“Mockery often reveals limitation, not superiority. When people laugh at what they do not understand, it says more about their world than about the person they are laughing at.”
In 2022, I travelled back to my hometown for a wedding. While I was at the salon getting my hair done, the ladies attending to me suddenly began laughing loudly and making fun of someone outside. They kept pointing and laughing as if it was the most amusing thing they had seen all day.
I usually do not involve myself in public mockery, but this time, curiosity got the better of me. I looked out the door to see what was happening. I saw a very beautiful woman of average build stepping down from a bike. She was wearing a lovely outfit, paired with a beautiful pair of mid-calf boots that matched perfectly.
To my surprise, the ladies were laughing at her shoes.
I tried to look again, wondering if there was something else they could possibly be laughing at. Then I heard one of them say in our native language, “Look at her shoes. What kind of shoe is that?” Another added, “What type of dressing is this?” They continued laughing loudly.
I sat there in shock.
First, I felt personally insulted because, at the time, I had already started my boots business. It felt like they were indirectly mocking something I believed in. But after the initial sting faded, I began to feel pity for them. They had likely never experienced life beyond their small environment. Instead of being curious or open-minded about something different, they chose ridicule.
That moment taught me a few powerful lessons:
Not everyone will understand your taste, your vision, or your business. And that is perfectly fine. Exposure shapes perception. What looks strange to one person may be normal, stylish, or even trendy elsewhere.
It also reminded me that mockery often reveals limitation, not superiority. When people laugh at what they do not understand, it says more about their world than about the person they are laughing at.
Most importantly, I learned that confidence is powerful. That woman stepped down from that bike looking beautiful and unbothered. She did not shrink herself to fit into their expectations. She wore what she liked, and she owned it.
Sometimes being different simply means you’ve seen more, dared more, or grown more. There’s more to life than a room full of laughter.
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