Feminist Jessica Valenti, Who's Not Unattractive, Berates Teenager Who Had Corrective Surgery After Being Bullied

Okay, so she's not Penelope Cruz.

Still, this piece from so-called radical feminist Jessica Valenti is a bit much, at the Nation, "The Upside of Ugly."

(Via Althouse, "'This is a fucked-up country to grow up in, especially as a girl'.")

And from Valenti's essay:

There’s nothing wrong with embracing ugly. It’s okay to feel inferior—we don’t feel ugly or less than because of some deficit in our confidence, we feel that way because we’re systematically trained to believe it. Because society depends on it. Self esteem won’t change that—shifting the culture will.

As an adult, I can look back and know that like a lot of kids, it just took me a while to grow into my face. I look how I’m supposed to look. But more importantly, I know that anger and action can be more fulfilling than being beautiful.

People who promote self-esteem in girls have their best interest at heart. And self-love and self-care are certainly worthy goals—but not on their own. Because what makes us feel better about ourselves is not always what's best for us or others in the long run. Life shouldn’t be a feel-good campaign.

This is a fucked-up country to grow up in, especially as a girl. And we all want to give young women the tools necessary to succeed. So let’s teach girls to survive a misogynist culture with a fist, not a smile [emphasis added].

Perhaps she was an ugly duckling. But she's not "ugly," by any stretch --- which makes her essay pretty ridiculous.

And remember, Valenti had a traditional white wedding in 2009 and she's now the mother of a 2-year-old daughter. Yeah, I know, she's really taking it to the man!

FLASHBACK: At Althouse's, "Let's take a closer look at those breasts."

PHOTO CREDIT: Wikimedia Commons.