Posted by Ponder on May 5, 2002, at 12:03:47
In reply to Ugly.., posted by LiLAngelJenna on May 3, 2002, at 19:20:09
This is such an interesting topic. Depression changes our perceptions. Not just the way we FEEL about what we see, but what we actually see. I have a friend who has actually sought out plastic surgery twice while in severe depressive episodes (she didn't need it, in my opinion).
Feeling ugly and looking in the mirror where you THINK you are getting concrete verification, is just not reliable. You never look to others as you do yourself, and your own view of yourself is mercurial. Your family is not giving you any kind of useful or objective information; they're just BEING ugly.
One thing that helps me when I'm feeling down about my personal appearance is to look at people who are clearly not pretty in an objective sense, but who have achieved everything I might want in life through sheer confidence and force of personality (and hard work, etc.) Looks truly do not have to limit a person. Not even in America.
And, speaking of America, here's another suggestion. Watch foreign films. Seems like every country other than ours puts real-looking people in their movies. Hollywood seems bent on making the rest of us feel inadequate. Check out a darling little film called "Everybody's Famous". A heartwarmer and an example of how attitude changes the way a person looks.
poster:Ponder
thread:104973
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020503/msgs/105155.html