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On Being a #HotPersonInAWheelchair
Hey everyone, here’s my latest column: https://smanewstoday.com/2019/01/22/hot-person-wheelchair/. Don’t worry, it’s not just me writing about how good-looking I am. I wanted to write about two recent trends on social media, both of which had to do with self-image and how we project ourselves in society. Let me know what you think.
After you read the column, here are a couple questions to consider.
-Have you ever struggled with the idea of seeing yourself as attractive (be honest, it’s something we all struggle with)?
-What are some things you may have done to help you have a more positive image of yourself?
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8 Replies
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Great column bro. I definitely lacked confidence in high school with this. For example, I sat directly next to one of the most beautiful girls I’ve ever seen for half the school year, and didn’t talk to her once. This was partly just my introverted nature, but I also had this notion of “she couldn’t possibly want anything to do with me”.
Going to the SMA conference in 2016 was really eye opening for me. I met people with SMA who had spouses and children. That was when I actually realized it is possible for me to have a wife and kids.
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Thanks man! And yeah, the confidence aspect can be difficult, but it makes a big difference.
For me, I never really had a problem talking with girls, but I had insecurities about seeing myself as dateable. I had many friends who were girls in school, but I had to build up confidence to see myself as desirable in the romantic sense. An SMA friend of mine who’s now married definitely helped me there. I still talk with him regularly.
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I definitely used to have a hard time seeing myself as outwardly beautiful. My old PT had a saying on her wall that read “If you are confident, you are beautiful.” I used to repeat that to myself a lot. I can’t really pinpoint when my thinking started to change, but know I can easily say that I am definitely confident, and I am definitely beautiful. Whether or not people agree is their choice, but I know it’s true, so their opinions don’t really matter all that much.
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Halsey, I love that quote. Confidence goes a long way in feeling your best.
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Thanks for sharing Halsey! And yeah great quote.
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Great article Kevin. I know I try to look the best I can, whether or not I’m successful is debatable. Sometimes I want to make a t-shirt that says, “It takes a lot of work to look this mediocre.” I think people are their own harshest critic.
I’ve been watching a show called Dr. Pimple Popper. Basically it’s about a dermatologist who removes cysts, lipomas and other growths to make her patients more confident. What struck me is that a majority of the time the patient was the one most bothered by their deformities. If you’re fine with your flaws others will be too. On one hand it irritates me these patients are letting something like this dictate their lives. On the other hand I’m happy they can have a procedure to correct the issue. Heck, if I could change my flaws I would too, unfortunately wheelchairs aren’t surgically removable.
In your article you mention Jennings mis-statement. Regrettably he sees a wheelchair as a flaw. I think he’s the one that’s sad.
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Thanks DeAnn!
And interesting. I agree that we are our harshest critics. I used to think negatively about my self-image, but once I changed my mindset and stopped being so desperate for a relationship, I’ve had really positive experiences with dates and such.
And absolutely, Kennings is definitely the one with the problem. I try to avoid giving people like him attention, but again his insult in turn sparked a really positive social media movement.
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DeAnn, if you ever make that shirt, I absolutely want one!
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