15 Women Are Sharing The “Societal Expectations” They’ve Told To F*ck Off

2.

“Whether men find me attractive in public. My mom told me, as a teenager, to always have my hair and makeup done because you never know who you’ll run into. But she didn’t mean it about friends or colleagues, but rather a cute boy. I have a vivid memory of being 15 at McDonald’s with my mom, and she saw me glance at the teenage cashier. She said, ‘Maybe he’d ask for your number if you were dressed up. That’s why it’s important to put your face on every morning.’ And all I could think about was how little I cared if that cashier thought I was cute. I just wanted my iced coffee.”

“As an adult, I put effort into my appearance because it makes me feel confident. But if I have to step out of the house in leggings and a big T-shirt because I’m running errands or simply don’t have the energy, I no longer worry about whether I’m still attractive. The only men who’ve approached me in public, anyway, were weird pick-up artists playing a numbers game.”

—brielarstan