Red Nail Polish

A mother raising a child with disabilities was a hot topic online.
The child had difficulty communicating and was very active.
Various opinions were flying around about her life of being with the child around the clock.

Some images of her were circulating, and my first impression was, 'What a beautiful mother.'
She was wearing a nice suit, earrings, and red nail polish.
There was a gap between the imagined hardships of raising her child and her well-groomed appearance.

Why did I feel a sense of discomfort just because a mother was well-groomed?

I had assumed she would look more exhausted, be in casual clothes, and have no time for makeup.
I thought that people who are struggling must be worn out.

But that was nothing more than an image of a mother I had arbitrarily decided on in my head, thinking, 'This is what raising a child with disabilities must be like.'
Perhaps it was for a TV interview, or perhaps keeping herself well-groomed was how she maintained her daily life.
I could have thought of any number of reasons.
In the first place, people should be allowed to dress however they like whenever they want.

I had thought, 'People who are struggling should look like they are struggling.'
When I think about it, that is not limited to mothers of children with disabilities.
I thought poor people should look somewhat modest, with worn-out sweaters or faded bags.
I thought busy people shouldn't be fashionable, with no makeup and just hair tied back.

Somewhere in my mind, I believed that 'inner feelings and circumstances are reflected in one's appearance.'
I had thought prejudice was something more exaggerated.
I thought it only referred to things like hating or discriminating against someone.
But in reality, I had an assumption I hadn't even named: 'People who are struggling should look like they are struggling.'

I realized this not because of the mother, but because I saw the 'image of a mother' within myself.