PERFECTIONISM IS THE VOICE OF THE OPPRESSOR. Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird (1994) Shame and Perfectionism I think I’ve seen the movie Flashdance at least twenty times. In the 1980s, I wanted to be just like Jennifer Beals’s character, Alex. She was the tough construction worker by day and talented, ambitious dancer by night. Of course, my favorite part of the movie is the dance scene in which Alex auditions for the hoity-toity ballet school. I’m too embarrassed to tell you how many sweatshirts I ruined and how many leg warmers I bought. Of course, I wasn’t alone. Nothing took the mystique out of
...more
