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What (we think) others think about us
Our concern about the way we believe others see us is not necessarily all that helpful
“Does my bum look big in this?” Lovers of British comedy may recall this catchphrase from The Fast Show, in which Arabella Weir plays a variety of characters unduly preoccupied with the looks of their rear end. As is often the case with good comedy, it is just an ever so slightly exaggerated depiction of something that we all recognize.
Most of us do indeed care about what others think of us, and the very thought that we might leave a negative impression on them fills us with horror. We shudder at not noticing that there is a big bogey visible inside our nostril, or a piece of spinach stuck between our front teeth. Likewise for ‘wardrobe malfunctions’ such as — for gentlemen — forgetting to zip up their flies, or — for ladies — tucking their skirt in their underwear.
Not just the misadventure
It is not just mishaps that we fear. When we go out, the choice of clothes we wear, and what we do to our face (whether it’s shaving, trimming our nose hair or putting on makeup) is — contrary to what we may like to tell ourselves — most of the time not for ourselves. As we are stuck at home in lockdown, at most we pay some attention to the bit that our…
