Not a suitable compliment…

I simply meant to compliment my friend

To examine my biases I did not intend..

You look fabulous, thus started my comment

And that could have been the extent

Of my sentence- but further adjectives I did add

You’ve lost weight, you look younger- now isn’t it sad

That the biases I hold and that are prevalent

Can be easily disguised as compliments..

*

In a world where thinness and youth are placed

At the pinnacle of achievement, women face

Judgment on their perceived age and size

Being thin and looking young are epitomized

As the ideals to strive for, and those who have reached

Those ideals must be applauded indeed…

By extending my compliment to include youth and size

I revealed my implicit biases, I now realize

What’s more, I judge myself through the same lens

When I gain weight or look older, I feel dissatisfaction intense

When I get a compliment similar to mine

I confess I feel I am on cloud nine..

*

Of course genuine compliments should be given liberally

But it’s time to make them bias and judgment free