WOMEN DON'T LIKE ME BECAUSE I'M PRETTY
WOMAN'S OWN|March 06, 2023
Maxine Booth, 50, is fighting a constant battle for acceptance, just for being herself
WOMEN DON'T LIKE ME BECAUSE I'M PRETTY

Standing in the school playground, I keep my eyes focused on the classroom door, waiting to collect my son. ‘There she is – the footballer’s wife!’ I hear another mum snigger. They’d given me that nickname as I always look glamorous, my hair and make-up immaculate, even for the school run. I smile politely and pull my dark glasses down over my eyes. I don’t care what they think. It has taken me years to become this resilient though, and to realise that often, women just dislike me.

I haven’t always been singled out for my looks. At primary school, I was outgoing and popular, and had lots of friends, but when I started secondary school, people’s perceptions of me began to change.

With two older sisters, I loved getting dressed up and playing with make-up, and while other girls my age felt awkward about their pre-teen bodies and wanting to look pretty, I didn’t have the same insecurities. I felt happy and confident with who I was.

‘She thinks she’s something special,’ girls whispered behind my back. Suddenly, my friends began to distance themselves from me and I found myself being isolated. I couldn’t understand it – I hadn’t changed as a person, I was still the same confident, friendly girl I’d always been. ‘They’re just jealous of how pretty you are,’ my mum told me.

BLENDING IN

Eventually, aged 14, I moved to a new school and, in order to fit in, tried to hold back some of my personality.

Esta historia es de la edición March 06, 2023 de WOMAN'S OWN.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición March 06, 2023 de WOMAN'S OWN.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE WOMAN'S OWNVer todo