Zuzu’s tag

…via Sage.

The assignment:

tell us at least 5 things you love about yourself - your body or your personality. Don’t be shy! And no self-deprecation.

1. I, like Sage, have perfect teeth. Straight, white, and no fillings. And I didn’t go to a dentist until I was old enough to pay for it myself, so there. Also, I have a great smile.

2. I’m funny. I am seriously sarcastic, and my sense of humour is kind of off-beat sometimes, but I am a fairly entertaining person. And I’m the first to laugh at myself.

3. I have great hair. It grows really long, and it’s got a great natural wave, but it’s easy to straighten if I want, and it’s always healthy and silky no matter how much I torture it. It’s starting to go white a little bit here and there, but for now, I colour it. Maybe I’ll give up that vanity one day, but not while I go to school with people 10 years younger than me!

4. I have really nice skin. It helps that I know exactly how to look after it, and how to enhance it with makeup, but it’s really nice. Porcelain. One of my friends used to call me Snow White, another calls me the China Doll. And the other day, someone said they thought I looked about 23. (by the way, the secret is SPF. Everyday. And a good cleanser, AHA, and topical Vitamin C.)

5. I’m smart. I can learn just about anything. There wasn’t a subject in school that I couldn’t do, and do well. And it was easy. Still is, mostly. Also, I have a lot of knowledge - just general, trivial sorts of stuff. I think I have a photographic memory, or something. I just remember things easily, when I’m interested. And I have a lot of interests.

6. I’m pretty fair. I do my best to treat people well, with kindness, no matter who they are. And I gave up judging people a long time ago. What a burden that was!

7. I love hard. I’m loyal, and a true friend. Those who have my love have it for life, no matter what circumstances might keep us together or apart. I’m very forgiving, and generous. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for my dearest lovers and friends. This just might be my tragic flaw.

8. I have an excellent aesthetic eye. I can see how colours go together, how space would best be filled, what sort of textures go nicely together. I’ve got an eye for form, lines, and structure. If I wasn’t doing what I’m doing, I could easily be an interior decorator or designer.

9. I have pretty eyes. Kind of green, with golden flecks around the pupil. Almond shaped, big and bright, crinkly when I laugh, very expressive, long eyelashes, great eyebrows. And perfect vision.

I put off doing this exercise for a while. I just wasn’t sure about it, I thought I might not want to think about this too hard. Being modest is held as a virtue, especially for women, and it’s something I think I’ve internalized a bit. It does feel like you’re bragging, or being conceited, which is something a lot of other people have said in answering this tag. But in reading other people’s answers, I came to realize that these are the things we should celebrate. And for others to recognize how great we are, maybe it’s a good idea to recognize it in ourselves!