Sitting Still and Look Pretty: You Are Worth It
- Erin Jones
- Sep 3
- 2 min read
Life after divorce can feel like a whirlwind. Papers are signed, routines shift, identities blur, and suddenly the world feels both overwhelming and oddly quiet. Many of us instinctively fill the space with noise—keeping busy, piling on commitments, saying “yes” when our hearts whisper “no”—just to avoid sitting with ourselves. But here’s the truth: learning to be still is part of the healing.
Redefining “Sit Still and Look Pretty”
For years, “sit still and look pretty” was a phrase meant to shrink women—telling us to stay quiet, to take up less space, to be pleasing without purpose. But as divorcees, we get to rewrite that narrative.
Today, sitting still is not about shrinking. It’s about reclaiming peace. It’s about grounding yourself in your own worth without needing constant validation from a partner, a job, or anyone else. And “looking pretty” isn’t about surface beauty; it’s about glowing from the inside out—because nothing looks better than a woman who knows her worth.
Stillness Is a Superpower
Post-divorce life often brings a compulsion to prove ourselves:
“I can handle it all on my own.”
“I’ll show them I’m happier now.”
“I’ll fill my calendar so I don’t feel the loneliness.”
But stillness teaches us that our value doesn’t lie in how much we accomplish or how well we perform. When we pause, we create space for clarity, healing, and self-discovery. Stillness allows us to ask: What do I truly want next? What feels good for me?
That pause is where transformation begins.
Looking Pretty on Your Terms
After divorce, many of us feel like we need a reinvention—new wardrobe, new hair, new gym routine, new everything. And while those things can feel empowering, they aren’t the source of worth.
“Looking pretty” after divorce means walking into a room with your head high, even when your heart still aches. It means knowing that your beauty is not defined by whether you wear a ring, but by the strength in your eyes and the softness you still allow yourself to carry.
Your glow comes from your courage, not your contour.
You Are Worth It—Every Single Day
The hardest lesson after divorce? Remembering that you are worthy simply because you exist. Not because you’re paired up, not because you’re achieving, not because you’re checking boxes.
You are worth the quiet nights alone.
You are worth the deep breaths that center - you
All of us are worth joy, love, laughter, and peace—again and again.
On Divorcee Dish, we talk a lot about finding new flavors in life. Think of stillness as one of them—a dish you may not have tasted in a while. It might feel unfamiliar at first, even uncomfortable. But with each slow bite, you’ll discover richness you didn’t know you were missing.
So sit still. Look pretty on your terms. And never forget: you are worth it.
Because if they treat you like you are not pretty inside and out - please run!
