Earlier this month, I was invited to attend the premiere of Amy Schumer’s new movie “I Feel Pretty,” set to hit theaters Friday, April 20. As soon as I saw the title and watched the trailer, it was clear the opportunity didn’t cross my path by coincidence.
Thus far, 2018 has been a year of stepping out of my comfort zone, living fearlessly, empowering others and overcoming self-image issues. So, what better way to honor my journey than by watching a comedy about someone who is struggling with feelings of deep insecurity and low self-esteem?
In short, Schumer’s character takes a brutal fall during an exercise class. Upon waking up, her aforementioned issues have vanished, and she believes she’s a supermodel. With her newfound confidence, she is empowered to live life fearlessly and flawlessly.
The plot stems from the fact that very few of us dare to think enough of ourselves to venture out and say and do the things that are often in the back of our mind. But why don’t we? What do we have to lose? I’m here to tell you the only thing you have to lose is yourself to the harsh critic inside of you.
As I laughed throughout the movie, there were also moments of clarity. Realizing that how I choose to live my life and what I choose to express as my level of confidence is how the world sees me. We have the power within ourselves to make a choice, and that choice determines who we become. My father gave me many books when I was growing up but one that stands out to me with respect to this subject is “Feel The Fear And Do It Anyway” by Susan Jeffers, PhD. I suppose he saw things in me that I didn’t see in myself during those early years. As a result of what I was seeing and feeling about myself the labels began to take form and the little critic in my head was born.
As a very young girl in grade school I dealt with bullying, so I became the “strong” girl. In middle school I wasn’t the “pretty” girl, so I became the “funny” girl. In high school my self-esteem was my demon, so I was the “strong, funny” girl. But as I moved into adulthood, I began to realize that it wasn’t about who I was, but more about what I was about that mattered. What was my purpose? Who could I serve? How could I serve them? How could I do all of this without any fears?
When you find the answers to those questions, that’s when your real beauty shines through and life begins to take on a new meaning. Suddenly people will see you and say, “Wow, you look beautiful,” without having done anything differently to your appearance at all. When you find who you were meant to be, you can look in the mirror and say to yourself, “I feel pretty.”
The movie is both creative and funny and depicts the struggle many women face everyday in terms of how we view ourselves versus what others see in us. I strongly recommend going to see it and encourage you to bring some of your best girl friends along. There are scenes from the movie that will touch each of you in one way or another. I can say that my best girls inspire me each and every day to remain true to my purpose and myself and always make me feel beautiful. I encourage you to do the same for your best girls.
May you forget your fears, shut off the critic in your head and feel as pretty and beautiful as you are to everyone else!
Kim
