The Pretty Friend

“You’re so beautiful.”

“I wish I looked like you.”

“You’re definitely the pretty friend.”

“You’re skinny and you don’t even try, I’m jealous.”

“You eat garbage, but you’re so thin.”

“Guys always hit on you.”


Compliments.
That’s what they are.
What they’re meant to be.
Said by friends who have such incredible and raw talent.
Personalities and traits that are so beautiful they break my heart.

The artistic one.
The soft one.
The musically gifted one.
The one who uses humour as a defence mechanism against their own pain.
The one who is confused by themselves but acts like it’s not a big deal.
The one who pretends to be mean and cold hearted but would do anything for a loved one.
The one who is so genuinely kind and caring that it brings me to tears.

They mean well.
But it brings questions to mind, doesn’t it?
Is it selfish of me to wish I could be more than just the pretty friend?
Do I have no other characteristics but my looks?
Does it make me petty to wish I could be described in such a way as I’ve described them?

But perhaps it’s true.
Perhaps my other traits, my personality, are so wretched and cursed that my only redeeming quality is my faltering beauty.
Perhaps my pretty face is wonderful enough to redeem my cold and barren self.

Or perhaps I’m overthinking.
Letting my insecurities of being nothing worth anything get the better of me.

Reviews

[Franky]

I agree with Dave below. There are millions of beautiful women. They are kind of everywhere. But true beauty is more rare and it's on the inside it takes longer to find it but it's like finding a pearl .

[Dave]

You should remember that when people describe you as being pretty or beautiful I'm sure they are not taking into account your physical appearance. I've found that many of those that could be described as pretty or beautiful solely on the basis of their looks or talent lack those qualities that truly make them beautiful. Not only having a friend but being a friend.
Take care - Dave

[Pete]

honest write. a case of the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. we are all unique. there are different types of beauty both outside and in. this is an introspective write. we all wrestle with such thoughts. no need to beat yourself up - you possess beauty that others do not. wrestling with insecurities is not a good thing, although easier said than done. we must reaffirm and focus on the positives of ourselves and let our unique lights shine in an often dark world ... :)

[Courtney Hough]

Someone will always be better in our eyes and in someone else’s we are better. It’s crazy how the world works. This is a great write. Everyone has something someone wishes they had.

[Einstein Noodle]

wow ... such insights ... brutal honesty .. title hooked me and your write held me more as i read ... the perspective is a refreshing change up as the "pretty one" shows all her insecurities yet has incredible insight into others ... she sees a truer "beautiful" person under the "... mean and cold hearted but would do anything for a loved one." ... should be posted in high schools for all to read before such habits that breed bullying have taken root ... powerful read for me
E.

[Chris Shaw]

Beauty is within the eyes of the beholder so it is said. Looks are lovely but can be superficial. It's what's inside that counts. Kindness, generosity of spirit, thoughtfulness are truly beautiful traits. Young people can often mistake outer beauty for the real thing. As I have grown wiser with my years I can recognise beauty far more easily. It hasn't always been that way.

Chris

[John the Baptist]

As much as physical beauty is prized in this world, it is ironic that those who have it may not feel all that secure. For some reason, we tend to think the grass is always greener over there.