Emma, my wife, has always been known for her unique style and comfort with herself. But she felt less sure of herself after a clerk at an underwear shop she loved made fun of her.
Emma saw a job opening at the store and chose to apply since she didn’t have a job at the time. When she walked into the shop, she was happy and excited, but the salesperson laughed at her. “You’re not pretty enough for this job,” the assistant told Emma after giving her a hard time when she asked about the application process. “Don’t even try.”
She broke down in tears when she heard those words. I felt the same way. I couldn’t believe someone could be so cruel. Those words made me want to teach the salesperson a lesson right then.
My friend Mike, who is a talent scout, and I came up with a sweet way to get back at them. We went back to the store the next day to make sure the same salesperson was there. Mike introduced himself to the assistant and started talking about modelling jobs with her. The assistant was eager to make a good impression.
This assistant was getting excited when Mike told her, “Sorry, you’re not what we’re looking for.” This was the same thing she had told Emma. Then he turned to Emma, who had just walked into the store, and asked, “Miss, have you ever thought about becoming a model?” “You’d be great.”
The salesperson was given a rude awakening when Emma smiled. Emma felt bad for the woman as we left the store, but I knew she had gotten what was coming to her.
Emma learnt a very important lesson: her confidence and sense of self-worth don’t come from what other people think of her.
