What the Barbie Movie Taught me about Sad, Beautiful Girls

From ages 19–25, I was with the same romantic partner. When that relationship ended and I started dating, I had no skills. No good template for interacting with the opposite sex. I did notice a pattern though, which was this: dozens of men told me that I’m beautiful. Dozens more expressed pleasant surprise that I’m beautiful and have a functioning brain. Several more sung my praises for…