I Am Me

Saturday, April 23

You know when you look in the mirror and you think ugh, I'm so fat, I'm so old, I'm so ugly. Don't you know that's not your authentic self? But that is billions upon billions of dollars of advertising, magazines, movies, billboards, all geared to make you feel shitty about yourself so that you will take your hard-earned money and spend it at the mall on some turn-around cream that doesn't turn around shit.

When you don't have self-esteem, you will hesitate before you do anything in your life. You will hesitate to go for the job you really wanna go for. You will hesitate to ask for a raise. You will hesitate to call yourself an American. You will hesitate to report a rape. You will hesitate to defend yourself when you are discriminated against because of your race, your sexuality, your size, your gender. You will hesitate to vote. You will hesitate to dream. For us, to have self-esteem is truly an act of revolution. And our revolution is long overdue.

I urge you all today, especially today, in these times of terrorism and chaos, to love yourselves without reservation, and to love each other without restraint...unless you're into leather.
~Margaret C.H.O., 2002

Kim 11:40 PM |