04/21/2023
**LONG POST AHEAD**
Something that I experience frequently is being told I look intimidating for being attractive and fit. It’s a stigma that I feel doesn’t get talked about enough. I take pride in being extremely kind & friendly. I always smile at everyone I pass and say “hello, how are you?” when the moment comes. No matter how I carry myself, I still face judgement based solely on how I look. On multiple occasions, I will receive dirty looks or eye rolls from simply smiling at a stranger. These encounters used to - and sometimes still do - leave me feeling insecure. Like I needed to cover my body, wear little to no make-up & keep my hair undone and messy in order to be considered “approachable.” Making myself lesser than. It may seem silly, but this really affected my self esteem. I then felt shame for being insecure about my looks. “Someone always has it worse so I shouldn’t be upset” is what I’d tell myself over and over. Through intense therapy work and the support of my inner circle, I realized my worth and not to let others’ opinions validate or negate that belief.
I guess my point of sharing my experience is I know it’s difficult not to make first impressions as most of it comes from our subconscious mind. But why write someone off as a certain way based on how a person looks? Something that is mostly out of our control anyways.
I’ve been an athlete most of my life. I’ve put in hours and hours of work to get to where I am. Someone putting the same amount of work won’t make us look the same. Why would you want to look like someone else? Embrace who you are & I don’t just mean the way you look.
And most importantly, ALWAYS be kind - to strangers, to coworkers, to friends & to family.
🖤
