Humor Quote by Deb Caletti
““I'm thinking we ought to rethink the whole self-esteem thing. It should almost be a dirty word. I mean, look at Kayla. She has the intelligence of a tree stump, and its sense of humour. She's less about real attractiveness than she is about advertising... She's the kind of girl who shows how hot she is because she has nothing else to offer, who doesn't realise that hotness has an expiration date. Yet, I'm still a little nervous talking to her like she's holding a lottery ticket she just might or might not decide to hand over to me. It is nuts, if you stop to think about it. I give give her this power, and it's kind of like voting some idiot into office. But hey, we're good at that, too.””
About This Quote
Source Film: The Edge of Seventeen, 2016
Self‑esteem is portrayed as a fragile, socially constructed commodity that can be weaponized and misread.
In simple terms: Self‑esteem can be misused and misunderstood.
Key Takeaway
Question how we value people beyond appearance.
Themes
self‑esteem
beauty standards
power dynamics
Mood
critical
reflective
Type
analytical
commentary
When to use this quote
- dating
- social media
- workplace interactions
- friendship dynamics
Key Concepts
social validation
objectification
identity
gender roles
Questions to Reflect On
- How do we recognize genuine confidence versus performance?
- What role does societal pressure play in self‑valuation?
A Different Perspective
It risks oversimplifying complex personal worth to a single trait.
![“[S]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once, for example, when I was just starting out in the food business, I was hired by the caper people to develop a lot of recipes using capers, and it was weeks of…” quote by Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d79/nora-ephron-1217_business_s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-th_980.jpg)
