On "Attention Seeking Whores"

For some reason, people have this notion that if you're pretty, or thin, or have a boyfriend, or get good grades, or have a lot of friends, then you're not allowed to feel ugly or stupid, or fat, or unloved, or like no one would care if you lived or died. 

And, if you venture a comment on your own insecurities, you're instantly labelled an "attention seeking whore". 

People toss around comments like "If you think you're fat, what does that make me?", "Oh, you're just doing it for attention", "if you really think you're ugly, then why bother wearing makeup?" "We all have insecurities, you just need to ignore it", and then wonder why people isolate themselves in towers of pain. 

Just because you think I'm pretty, doesn't mean that I see myself as pretty. And if I post selfies, it doesn't always mean that I think I'm pretty or attractive or gorgeous, or anything of the sort. It could just mean that I'm trying to face my fears, and I hope that maybe one day I will be able to see myself the way you say you see me. 

Just because you may think I'm smart, doesn't mean I think I am. After all, I know better than anyone the amount of nights I've stayed up till midnight studying, the way I forget answers on tests, and the low scores that I don't talk about. 

Just because you say you love me, doesn't mean that I can always tell, or that I won't have bad days where I feel like no one in the world cares. 

Just because you complement me doesn't mean that I'll always believe you and not immediately assume that you're doing it just to make me feel better about myself, or looking through rose colored glasses, because I've seen the way I look without makeup and clothes, and it's not pretty or skinny. 

Just because you say any guy would be lucky to have me doesn't mean that I think so, or guys think so either, for that matter! 

And why am I not allowed, even at home, to tell you not to compare me to her because "she's so much prettier than I am!" without being told that I'm an attention seeker? 

I mean, yeah, if someone deliberately says they're ugly for a complement, that's one thing...wait..why is that wrong, again?...but if someone consistently has said that they don't think they're pretty, they're not pretty, and that they're ugly and fat, then who gave you the right to tell them they're attention seeking?! 

You have no idea what's going on in their life, and even if you do, there will always - always - always - be things that you still don't know, either because they're ashamed to say it, or because they don't want to sound needy or attention seeking. 

And I for one am royally sick of being told that I'm looking for attention when I simply tell you the truth how I see it. 

Come on, people. 

We can do better than this. 

I know we can.