My daughter and I were talking the other day and she confessed something that I could totally relate to. She was planning to get together with some of her youth leaders (married) to talk about life. She's met with the wife before for lunch and it went fine. But then she confessed she didn't like eating with people she wasn't used to eating with - that she tended to feel "judged". Her solution is to order chicken nuggets because they are easier to eat.
This got me to thinking about how easy it is for us (or at least women it seems) to feel judged by others. It doesn't really even matter if it's true or not, the issue is that we feel judged (I certainly don't think my daughter's youth leaders are thinking about what or how she eats).
Why is that? I've decided to blame advertising (which may or may not be true and certainly isn't the only contributing factor).
- Cover Girl (or any makeup really): You NEED make up (inferring that you just might be horrible to look at, especially if you're over 40). What will people think if they see you don't use it?
- Weight Watchers/Jenny Craig/NutriSystem: Not only do those who are morbidly obese need to lose weight - but even that pesky 10 pounds is something that you shouldn't tolerate!
- Mercedes Benz: If you were successful in life, you would at least be able to consider purchasing a car of this caliber. You say you're driving a minivan because you like it? Liar!
What do you feel judged by?
**By the way, I do wear makeup, am working at losing weight,and while I actually do like driving my minivan - a Mercedes would be nice. So I'm not saying it's wrong to do those things - just check your motivation.Labels: judged, judging
