Why do some women hate beautiful women? This question sparked a debate about women and their relationships with other women. Viral sensation Samantha Brick, a 41 year old British journalist wrote a notorious essay on the topic. Why Do Women Hate Me for Being Beautiful? Why do we deny the existence of the beauty curse phenomenon? Women can be cruel to other women if they feel threatened by their beauty or appearance. Why do we feel the need to tear down a woman who exudes confidence? It's a form of systematic bullying that as a society, we seldom own up to. It's the ugly side of pretty. The curse of being a PG (pretty girl).
No one wants to talk about it. No one wants to admit it. One of the main issues that prevents women from getting along with other women is jealousy. In the professional world, it can be jealousy over how good you are at what you do or jealousy over how good you look doing it. Many women are competitive with other women.
According to Psychology student Lyndsey MacDermid from Caledonian University, “Insecurity is one of the main causes of jealousy. Body image problems and low self-esteem from a young age can invoke jealous feelings, particularly in women."
So what can we do? Slash a lovely girl's tires? Perhaps snicker behind her back? Of course not. If we pride ourselves in being non prejudice, open hearted, kind women, then why not act that way toward a beautiful woman? Every woman has a story. Even the PG's.You can't judge a book by it's cover. These woman aren't necessarily "bad" people. They may be carrying around pain of their own that you couldn't begin to know. Don't assume that her life is perfect just because she's one of the PG's. This adds to more feelings of hostility, competition and inadequacy among other women. Jessica Wakeman wrote a great article entitled 13 Assumptions We Make Make About Pretty Women. Do you fall into this trap?
Maybe it's time to become more evolved in the way we look at our fellow sisters. Is this PG friendly? Is she smart and funny? Have you taken the time to get to know her? She may be a great friend if you brush off the initial "green eyed monster" response. It seems like a silly, pre-feminist cliche to automatically dismiss a PG. It's human nature to have a little envy, but the next time you encounter one of these pretty creatures on the street, smile and nod instead of sneering. Who knows? You just may make a lifetime friend.
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