I know you.
You’re the first one to speak up when you hear another woman badmouthing herself. No friend of yours will talk trash about herself in front of you.
You don’t let your kids or their friends talk crap to each other in your house. No sir. Perpetrators are given a verbal warning and a swift kick to the door if they don’t comply thank you very much.
You were the first one in line to buy the U.T. t-shirt to support that poor kid that got bullied. You’ll gladly put your money where your mouth is for that kid.
You just won’t tolerate that kind of talk.
I mean, you won’t unless you’re talking about yourself.
On any given day, I’ll find you calling yourself names you wouldn’t dare let slip out of someone else’s mouth.
Don’t believe me? Let me give you a few examples;
1.) How many times have you walked into work proclaiming to anyone who would listen how you’re “just a mess this morning.” You did it this morning, didn’t you?
2.) You make a mistake, and the first words out of your mouth were “sheesh, I just can’t get it right, I’m such an idiot.” Yesterday perhaps?
3.) You say something awkward, “gah! I didn’t mean it that way; I’m such a dork. ”
(except instead of a dork you said dips#$%- I’m trying to keep this clean.)
I mean, let’s be real here, you can’t spill a drink by accident without calling yourself some inaccurate and degrading word.
Woman, for the sake of all that is good and pure in the world I’m telling you to stop!
I know, I know, you don’t really mean it when you say it about yourself.
My friend, if you don’t mean it, wouldn’t say it about your kid, a friend, or a co-worker, then why are you saying it about yourself?
It’s time to stop.
Listen, I’m guilty of saying it too. I’m guilty of looking in the mirror and trash-talking my hair, my butt, my everything. I’ve called myself “dips*&@, idiot, hot mess,” and worse more times than I can count. I’m not proud of that, and I’m making an effort to change.
I want you to make that effort too.
If you want to be treated with respect, you’ve got to respect yourself first. It starts with how you talk to yourself because if you’re willing to talk trash yourself, you’re opening the door to let others do the same.
I don’t want that for you.
Woman, stop, for the sake of all that’s good and pure in this world, stop.
PS
Please pass this along to a woman in your life who needs this reminder today.