- Money and success will make you happy.
- Being beautiful is an obligation.
- Being fat is the worst thing that could happen to you.
- College will be a magical la-la land where you will finally be happy.
- Men don’t like strong, opinionated women.
- Being gay is wrong.
- Never ask a guy out.
- Never have sex with someone you’re not dating seriously.
- Casual sex will make you depressed, and a slut.
- Intelligent people are better than nonintelligent people.
- Your parents know best.
- Family comes before friends.
- You should be willing to sacrifice anything for your family.
- Fitting in is important.
- If you’re upset, you’re probably being too sensitive.
- Your friends should come from your cultural/ethnic/religious group.
- If a guy likes you, he will let you know. And if he doesn’t, he’s a wimp anyway.
- Your career should be as high-powered as possible.
- Your husband should make as much or more money than you.
- It’s okay to let men do things for you rather than learning how to do them yourself.
- Never, ever trust another woman. She will stab you in the back at the first opportunity.
- If someone doesn’t like you, you should probably ask yourself what you’re doing wrong.
- If your boyfriend is unhappy, you should try to make him happy.
- Politics doesn’t matter anyway.
- Everyone can tell how many men a woman has slept with just by looking at her.
- Your clothing should always “flatter” your figure.
- Sex can only be one of two things: Dangerous, or Special and to be saved for The Right Person.
- Getting ahead is more important than sticking to your principles.
- You can always just choose to be happy.
I learned these things as a child and a teenager. Now I’m an adult and I finally get to reeducate myself. A decolonization of the mind, so to speak.
Most of these lessons have been proven false by experience and common sense.
What lies were you taught as a child?
