A clip from comedian Amy Schumer’s show Inside Amy Schumer made a big impact on viewers and the media when it circulated this summer. The video dealt with an issue that is incredibly relevant, yet constantly ignored. The issue? A woman’s inability to accept a compliment.
It seems silly to consider this to be an “issue,” but bear with me for a second. Consider how many times you’ve answered, “Wow, I love your shirt!” with “Oh, it’s my roommate’s. She looks better in it.” Consider how many times you’ve answered “Wow, you look great in that dress!” with “Yeah right, I look huge in this thing.”
Deflecting compliments has become a reflex for us girls these days, but why? Why can’t we accept that some part of our body or some aspect of our outfit is worth a stranger’s appreciation?
Maybe it boils down to our inherent lack of self-confidence. Research shows that only 2% of women think that they’re beautiful. That statistic is upsetting, but honestly, not that shocking. We are so rarely happy with ourselves. We look in the mirror and mimic the scene in Mean Girls where The Plastics lament their sucky nail beds and huge pores, and Cady wonders how so many things could be wrong on your body.
But here’s the thing: nothing on your body is wrong. Not a single thing. And while preaching the importance of self-confidence will get me nowhere, I think that preaching the importance of accepting compliments might make a small difference.
The next time someone offers you a compliment, take it. Take it and run. Take it and play it in your head all day and night as a reminder to yourself that you do have pretty hair, you do wear cute clothes, your legs do look really good in that skirt. You don’t have to think you’re perfect: hardly anyone does. But you can think certain parts of you are really, really great, and the compliments you receive will only reinforce that.
Make a conscious effort to accept your next compliment with a smile and a thank you. No self-loathing comment included. Acknowledging your worth doesn’t make you arrogant and, despite what Amy Schumer’s video may lead you to believe, acknowledging your worth won’t make the world self-destruct. You are worthy of the compliments you receive; don’t let underlying insecurities make you doubt that.