(no subject)
You know what I've been thinking?
People say things far too lightly. Things like who or what you should be, and what you should and shouldn't do, and who you are. As an amusing example, I was in the supermarket the other day, and this lady in front of me at the check out turned around, looked at my shopping and said, 'ah celery... very good, celery.' I agreed, and said it was good for snacks.
'Yes, yes it is. Very good with cheese.'
'Really? I haven't tried it with cheese, I have to say. I don't eat cheese much anymore.'
'You should try it'
At this point she looked me up and down, her face changed and she hastily said, 'but you're young. No, you should watch your weight.'
Slightly embarrassed, I replied that I do, and again she said, 'yes, you're young; you should watch your weight.'
Now, personally, I was quite amused by the whole thing, but I could easily have been one of those girls who would run home claiming to be worthless and fat and not going out anymore. She didn't know me from anyone, and while I expect she wouldn't have intended such a reaction, it wasn't... it sort of wasn't her place, you know? But people do it all the time - you should be more like him, you should eat more, eat less, eat differently, dress differently, laugh differently. But it's such a dangerous thing to say something like that, you know? It's saying, I know better than you. You're this. It's done far too easily, and I expect I do it all the time.
People say things far too lightly. Things like who or what you should be, and what you should and shouldn't do, and who you are. As an amusing example, I was in the supermarket the other day, and this lady in front of me at the check out turned around, looked at my shopping and said, 'ah celery... very good, celery.' I agreed, and said it was good for snacks.
'Yes, yes it is. Very good with cheese.'
'Really? I haven't tried it with cheese, I have to say. I don't eat cheese much anymore.'
'You should try it'
At this point she looked me up and down, her face changed and she hastily said, 'but you're young. No, you should watch your weight.'
Slightly embarrassed, I replied that I do, and again she said, 'yes, you're young; you should watch your weight.'
Now, personally, I was quite amused by the whole thing, but I could easily have been one of those girls who would run home claiming to be worthless and fat and not going out anymore. She didn't know me from anyone, and while I expect she wouldn't have intended such a reaction, it wasn't... it sort of wasn't her place, you know? But people do it all the time - you should be more like him, you should eat more, eat less, eat differently, dress differently, laugh differently. But it's such a dangerous thing to say something like that, you know? It's saying, I know better than you. You're this. It's done far too easily, and I expect I do it all the time.