Dear Massi, I have been turned down for rishtas for stupid reasons in the past, usually because people think my sister is prettier than me and choose her over me.

But the last family said no because I wear glasses. They said they didn’t want my poor eyesight to be passed onto their grandchildren. They even blamed my parents saying they must have let me read in bad light or watch tv too close. 

Since then my parents told me to wear contact lenses for rishta meetings and not tell anyone about my glasses.

Why should I hide this? 

They’re making it sound like I have an abnormality or something. 

How can I convince my parents to stop listening to people being so superficial?

Massi says, It is very common for people to wear glasses or contact lenses.

This should not be something that needs to be hidden from anybody.

You certainly should not feel coerced into wearing contact lenses if it is not your choice.

Tell your parents kindly that any family who have such particular demands on their ideal daughter-in-law is simply not worthy of your time.

Trying to achieve perfection is an impossible task.

Tell your parents that you would like to be accepted by a man and his family for being yourself, otherwise you will be living a lie.