cheerio.

Photo via GalaDarling

Wow...Saturday Jane said it best:

What it boils down to is this: I am okay with my body, but I don’t want other people to know that I am okay with my body, because then they will notice it, and what if they discover something that is not okay? And then if they think I am okay with something that really isn’t okay, they’ll think I’m a snob, or a bitch. They’ll think I’m one of those blindly self-praising girls who thinks she’s all that. They’ll tell everybody else that that’s what I am. A girl who thinks she is all that, when I am not all that at all, I’m not even a little bit that! And then everyone will talk about me behind my back and I’ll never get asked to prom and nobody will ever approve my housing loans.

I am not afraid of people thinking I am ugly.

I am afraid of people thinking that I am presumptuous.

This is why I am eager to beat The Universe to the punch, to explain that oh, no, don’t worry. I know my nose is weird and blobby and crooked. I get that my fingers are the size and shape of chewed-on cigars. It’s cool. I’m cool. I don’t think I’m ‘above my station’ or anything. I’m being realistic here.

And the really weird thing?

This is the way that I think women in our society are often taught to feel and act about ourselves. Once, while at a pool party - I was headed out to an event afterwards and Panda complimented me on my dress. My reaction? To look down at it, shrug and say that it had been purchased at Ross. Panda automatically pointed out that my immediate reaction was not to accept the compliment but to deflect it as something less. It's not that we don't think we look good and strive to look good. It's the fear that someone will think that we are arrogant and stuck up because we look good.

Because nothing is more hateful than the mean girl.

But there is a very fine line between the mean girl and the confident girl.
And sometimes, in someone else's light - we feel like there is some sort of lack of it for ourselves. So we seek to diminish that light, because of the perceived idea that we are somehow less when someone that we see - especially if that person is close to us - somehow has found the answer to being greater.
Let me repeat this: there is nothing wrong about loving the people around us that are amazing and wonderful and stupendous.
Because that means that we are surrounded by teachers, guides and the people who are most like us.
Like attracts like.
So if you believe that all of your friends are wonderful, beautiful, ticklish people who inspire and move you, you are in quite good company.
If you aren't...it might be time to look at yourself.

Who do we love? We love Chelsea Handler for burping, swearing and awesome shoe wearing her way to a successful slew of books and a late night talk show. We love Michelle Obama for not letting her impeccable sense of style and defined upper arms get in her way of public policy or national health. We love the Kates (Blanchett, Winslet, Beckinsale, Austin, Hepburn and Hudson) for kicking ass, playing soulful intellectual, sexy, loving whole women with take no prisoners attitudes. We love: Aretha, Beyonce, Gaga, Madonna, Jlo for creating empires. We love Margaret Cho for obvious reasons. We love the girl next door.

Also: why have I not been reading "Chicken Soup for the Dorky Soul"? This one breaks my heart...

And AHEM: This is totally amazing! TOTALLY! LOVE BOMB!