I love my hair.
Yes I said it. Call me cocky but I do have amazing hair. I mean if I were to give it a Biblical reference, Samson’s got nothing on me!
Now that statement might be a little bit of an exaggeration but my sentiment of hair love still stands.
To be honest, this is actually a bold statement for me. I may be the queen of self-deprecating comments especially in the presence of a compliment which I do tend to get on my hair with some frequency. I’m always ready to say thank you and tell you how my hair is not at its best or how long its been since I washed it, brushed it, etc. Mommyhood has just given me a whole new collection of reasons why I don’t like my hair.
Why do we do this ladies? I mean I can only speak for myself but I imagine I’m not the only one that struggles with this. The need to take compliments and praise and almost counterattack them with a disparaging remark about ourselves. Where does the need to deflect come from and how do we stop it?
The most direct or socially accepted response is that there is a lack of self-esteem. I can’t handle praise because I am not comfortable in my own skin.
FALSE.
I’m sorry but I reject this notion. Not to say that it is not true for others but for me self-esteem, self-love or whatever is not the issue – I’m VAIN.
Allow me to elaborate. I LOVE ME SOME ME! Like hello – who else is ever going to be a better version of this greatness God created?
Blame it on my on Aquarian nature. My self worth as it relates to physicality has never relied on the opinions of others. So when people compliment me, I will respond with a negative remark because I really want to be like:
“OMG – wait is this your first time meeting me, cute!”
Not really an appropriate response to a compliment or is it?
My younger sister has told me I can be too confident and I am okay with that. Most interpret excessive confidence as negative. As though it can only indicate vanity or a lack of something. I would say self-content manifests itself in overt confidence as well and that is something I would love to see more of.
Imagine if we all took just 50% less stock in the opinions of others and were content with ourselves. Your biggest cheerleader was actually yourself; no need for approval from others. I tell you there would be some industries taking a hit to their pockets. More importantly, the boost in morale worldwide would be beautiful maybe even Utopian.
What a Beautiful World of Crowns that would be…