Self Esteem (&some cute jewelry!)

I thought I'd post something I was thinking about last night, which is the topic of self esteem and assertiveness in young women. This jumps over the place a little. When I posted my blog with a picture of me with no makeup, and everyone responded saying basically how bad they looked without makeup, it made me sad. I feel like most young women don't think they're pretty. I also think when you DO think you're pretty, and if you acknowledge that, you're considered egotistical. Do I think I'm pretty? Yeah, I do, or I wouldn't be putting all these pictures on my blog. But if I ever say this to someone, they're like "Wow, you're full of yourself." Why can't you have a positive self image without people thinking you have a big ego? I feel like people look down on you if you think that you're pretty, which is so stupid. To be honest, people who have low self-esteem annoy me. If you hate yourself so much, do something positive to change it instead of complaining. I really hope everyone who has blogs that I follows thinks they're pretty, because they are. :) Another thing that REALLY bothers me is how nice some of my female friends are. Not nice in a good way, nice in a way that they WILL NOT tell people to back off when they are completely crossing boundaries. When they get in bad or uncomfortable situations with guys, they don't say anything, because they would "feel bad". This makes me so frustrated. What if someone starts to rape you, would you feel too bad to tell him to stop? Two friends of mine especially seem to always be getting into these uncomfortable situations, but never say anything to the guy who's creepin on them. It's hard for me to understand how they feel about it, because you better believe I'd be telling these guys to fuck off. I don't care if they think I'm a bitch, my safety is way more important than their opinions. I think every woman should read The Gift Of Fear, by Gavin De Becker. It talks about stuff like this; how women feel like they will be perceived as a bitch if they try to make a guy back off, so they stay quiet. It's really informative about what to do in bad situations, and how to recognize danger signs. I'm very assertive and I'm very confident, which I don't think a lot of girls my age are. And I think they should be. I believe every woman should feel confident and beautiful, and every woman should be able to use this confidence to stand up for herself and be able to control a negative situation. You shouldn't have to feel afraid of being branded an egotistical bitch. I would really love to hear your thoughts on this. :) Also, I thought I'd share some cute jewelry places I've found through people's blogs. If I had money I would totally buy from them...T_T All images are from their websites. These people didn't send me free stuff or ask me to blog about them or whatever else I should say for a proper disclaimer. I just really like their jewelry. :] D♥T Charms Ezziebell Jewelry Julu Jewelry Retro Charmz