I remember exactly where I was when I read that article about the pimple. I was a freshman in college, sharing a room for the first time (I am an only child). My Southern Belle roommate, bless her heart, subscribed to all the fashion magazines that made me feel I could never and would never measure up, get a boyfriend, or have a life. She is blonde and slim, I am not, and so on. I told myself that story of not measuring up for many years, despite dating and socializing with some very interesting people at the time.
99% of the articles were pure fluff---meaningless to me. In fact, I was struck by one article about “catching” a man and diets that work, including some tips that I now recognize as a glorification of dangerously disordered eating.
I do recall thinking that one day, if I ever had a daughter (I do) I would hate to see her suffer from poor self-image and low self-esteem (she does) or, God forbid, develop an eating disorder (she is a survivor of two separate EDs that caused her to be treated as both inpatient and outpatient for a period of 4 years during her adolescence.) She is recovering and one of the strongest people you’ll ever meet.
And I was disgusted that people could be so shallow, encouraging us women to be sirens despite our misgivings about imperfections (back to the pimple) and suffer potentially irreparable damage in the name of fashion, beauty, and the sought-after “M-R-S.” to follow college.
The previous description I wrote in the previous post defines what the pimple is. Everyone has theirs, so they seldom, if ever, notice yours (so please give yourself permission to go on living your life ignoring yours, too).
It was one of the deepest, most memorable times I still recall, yes, still with goose bumps, that I actually read something useful and meaningful in one of those very magazines. My pimple...invisible to most people, but not to me. It would be up to me to change my attitude, ignore my pimple, and sally forth confidently into the world.
I am proud to say that both my daughter and I have worked hard to conquer fears and hesitation regarding anything vulnerable we do...like choosing clothes, taking selfies, writing and revising essays, posting to social media, making friends, noting online trolls, etc.
In the end, we women of any age must lift one another up and remember our worth at all times, especially the hardest of times.
Do you envision goals that just a short time ago seemed impossible?
What brings you joy? What has brought you joy in the past that you would like to recapture?
I invite you to respond if you would like to schedule a strategy call. We can discuss your goals together. I could JOYn you on your path to ease in parenting. JOY: Just One You.