I’m a woman, in case you haven’t figured that out yet, and in light of that fact I want to talk about something that every woman(yes, every woman) struggles with. (Preemptive strike. Some of you are going to claim you don’t struggle with this. Stop lying to yourself.)
I was scrolling down facebook as I tend to do way too often and I saw a picture. Of a different woman. Which made me feel incredibly inferior. Not only inferior, but fat, awkward, and undesirable. You know the feeling. Seeing a picture of someone with a thigh gap and an itty-bitty waist that makes you look at your own stretch marks and feel like a cow. Yeah.
Confession: Logically I have no reason to feel that way after scrolling through my news feed. I’m fairly certain I’m guilty of striking envy in the hearts of other women as well. You know, leftovers. I can still see my ribs for some reason which completely eludes me. So why is it that when I see someone who is my idea of beautiful I automatically identify that type of beauty as not belonging to me? It boggles my mind that I’m so blind to myself that I compare my looks to everyone else and always find myself wanting. “Her lips are fuller than mine, her hips round better, look at her nice petite shoulders, if only if only if only….” but yet those same people that I’m judging myself against and finding myself inferior to are probably doing the exact thing to me. “Her hair is so curly and voluminous, wow curves, etc. etc. etc. if only if only if only…”
Legitimate question: Why do we live in a culture where inferiority complexes are the norm? Why can’t we just see ourselves the way that other people do?