Growing up, you learned that it’s not okay to be yourself. Cultural messages of the so-called “ideal woman” permeated every facet of your life. You were told to cater to everyone and appear perfect even if you were hurting. This meant you had to be thin, conventionally attractive, and always calm and collected, as the “ideal woman” is an effortless endeavor. So, you wore makeup and certain clothes to look “pretty,” because you believed your appearance defined your social worth.
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