VANITY INSANITY –
Jan. 6, 2025 – “Winning a beauty pageant is like a high … but the thing about highs is that there are terrible lows.” The ultimate validation in a world where I otherwise felt othered. Every pageant win after the first was like a fresh hit.
You might be thinking, “Cry me a river,” right? But I’d gotten to a place where not winning felt like the worst hangover multiplied by a million. To add insult to injury, I felt vulnerable and exposed.
You know what you need to do to survive when you have a hangover? Order a greasy burger and iced coffee ASAP. Imagine that when it arrives, you tear through the packaging like the feral shell of a human you are, and when your little hunger gremlins are just about to rejoice, you see…a salad. Not a juicy burger. You got a wilted salad when you thought you deserved — no, wait, needed — that greasy burger. Realizing that your order got mixed up, you picture some rando chomping away at your burger. And it’s painful.
