I don’t thinkI’m generalizing when I say that everyone wants to look good. But at the end ofthe day, who are you really trying to impress?Is it some boyin school? If he’s worth the effort, he will love you no matter what your dresssize is. A guy who won’t notice you until you lose weight is someone who putsway too much emphasis on physical appearance, and not enough on the things thatmatter. I know this sounds so cliché, but it’s really true. Guys who valuegirls based solely on their bodies aren’t the guys you want to be involved with.Someone who wants you to change any part of yourself, including your weight, isn’tappreciating you for what you are. There’s no reason to try to impress somedude who doesn’t know you exist. If he’s the guy you really want, he’ll havenoticed you already.
Are you tryingto impress your sister? As an only child, I can’t understand sibling dynamicsfrom personal experience. However, I’ve lived in this world long enough to knowthat some sisters are constantly in competition with each other, especiallywhen they’re closer in age. I really don’t think this rivalry is worth it,either. Of all the people you want to impress, your siblings should be the laston the list. They’ve seen you toddle around in diapers. You don’t need to proveanything to them.
Or is it yourfriends? If you feel the need to impress your friends, then it might be time toreevaluate why you’re friends with them. A true friend will love you no matterhow you look. She won’t go out of her way to hurt your feelings. Of course,everyone has bad days and says things they don’t mean, but if you have a friendwho constantly rags on you because of your appearance, chances are she’s not someoneyou want to hang out with.
I only keep intouch with two friends from middle school, one of whom is female. When I thinkback on it, she’s also the only friend I had at the time who never made anyobnoxious comments about my appearance.
Why should youwork so hard to impress others and constantly hold yourself to somebody else’sstandard? The key is to worry less about how others perceive you. I don’t knowif it’s possible to ever be completely indifferent to what people think aboutyou, but we should always try.
My former schoolguidance counselor once said that she was talking to an older friend. The womansaid to her, “When I was twenty, all I cared about was what people thoughtabout me. When I was forty, I didn’t care what people thought about me. When Iwas sixty, I realized that people didn’t really think about me all that much.”
