They always say to branch out, meet people, and grow, but....

[Mischa101]

You can't please everyone. I want to feel good about myself, but when I try to branch out and meet more people, I just don't really fit in. I feel bad about myself then. What's the point? One group of people may not accept me because my clothes aren't appropriate, another for a different reason. This is growth? Going to the mall to buy expensive clothing?

[TaraMaiden2]

There's no point answering the question until you yourself learn what is deep, and what is superficial.

[d0nnivain]

Anybody who doesn't accept you because of your clothes is not worth knowing.

 

 

There are lots of groups where I don't fit. You know what? They aren't my groups. It's as simple as that.

 

 

I'll give you an example. When I 1st moved into my suburban neighborhood I was a relatively young single woman. All my neighbors -- married couples -- shunned me. The wives all thought I was a husband stealer by virtue of the fact that I was single & the husbands ignored me because they didn't want to upset their wives. When I got married, all of a sudden DH & I were invited to all the neighborhood parties. But I still couldn't talk to the wives because we didn't have kids & I didn't care what happened in the 4th grade last week. So shunned again. Did matter, we had our own groups of friends that we had more in common with.

 

 

Water seeks its own level . . .keep looking for people who are more like you.

[scooby-philly]

I fee your pain.

 

As one poster stated - people's perspectives are usually limited, based on fear, and/or very parochial. I mean shunning a single woman in the burbs - that's pretty low. And as another said - if it's your clothes, etc.

 

Listen - I'm a firm believe that the greatest harm parents do to their kids (besides straight out physical, sexual, emotional abuse) is not taking an interest in their kids, letting them be themselves, and encouraging them to build lives of their own, that give them meaning, friends, happiness, and health.

 

So my friend, you may need to not only stop worrying about what others think, you may need to spend a good chunk of time re-discovering who you are, building that up and then going from there.