That time I got fired for being ugly.

Like most of my peers, I graduated from college into a recession that was not kind to my job search. I struggled to find professional work, so I took a job restocking a big box store on the night shift, which paid pretty well due to shift differential. I still believed that hard work would be rewarded, no matter where one starts out in life, so I applied myself. My numbers were excellent. I'd complete my assigned areas, then help others with their assigned areas. I volunteered for more difficult jobs, stayed away from workplace drama, and helped out with things outside of my job description when needed. I got along with everyone. I got plenty of positive feedback, started talking to someone who was transitioning into a job at corporate about the career path and networking, and felt really great about the whole situation. Then, one night, I got pulled into the office at the beginning of my shift. The boss explained to me that my attitude was not appreciated. I couldn't figure out what he meant, so I asked what he had heard. Boss responded that he didn't have to hear anything because he could tell from the constant grouchy look on my face that I was a troublemaker. He said that people who looked upset all the time hurt morale. I was let go on the spot.

I have deeply set hooded eyelids and a heavy jawline, so I am told that unless I am actually smiling, I look like a ferocious bitch. Sometimes, I look like a ferocious bitch even when I am trying my damnedest to look pleasant and happy. By age 22, I had an inkling that pleasant looking people were going to have an easier life, but this was the first time that it was out in the open as the reason I did not have a job anymore. I was nearly suicidal for a while after that. Still makes me tear up recounting it, and it's been over a decade. Be nicer to the uggos in your lives, folks.