Jennifer Tress is "pretty" happy and has a book to give away

Photo by Jaime Windon

Introduction by Melissa Amster

I was born with naturally curly hair, and over time it became frizzy and practically unmanageable. I suffered through various bad haircuts and questions about whether I had a perm or stuck my finger in an electric socket. Some obnoxious guy even called me "Frizzles." No joke! During my early years of high school, I met girls with similar hair to mine and we bonded over this. Then around my senior year of high school, someone told me I looked like Magenta from Rocky Horror. I embraced that and formed an identity from performing as Magenta in local Rocky Horror stage shows. While I no longer have this persona as part of my life, I've learned to enjoy having wild curls, even on their craziest days.

Having said that, the title of Jennifer Tress' book, You're Not Pretty Enough, resonated with me immediately and I knew we had to invite her to CLC for a visit. Of course, I'm not the only one who has felt self-conscious at some point in their life. There's the YNPE movement going on in connection with Jennifer's book. You can watch videos and connect with other people, empowering each other in the process. Jennifer is here today to tell us what makes her happy and to share copies of her book with TWO lucky readers in the US and/or Canada.

Here's more about the book (courtesy of Jennifer's website), which also gives insight to Jennifer's life:
You’re Not Pretty Enough is like Jenny Lawson’s Let’s Pretend This Never Happened meets Cheryl Strayed’s Dear Sugar. From the “Sex Papers” Jen drew as a four-year-old when her mom was pregnant with her younger sister to her sole teenage act of rebellion: going to church. “We’re very disappointed in you,” her nonreligious parents said. When she was sixteen, Jennifer fell in love with Jon Bon Jovi and felt certain that if he just met her, he’d feel exactly the same way. They met all right. But that’s not what happened.

At 23, Jen married her college sweetheart and divorced him at 26 after he’d had an affair. Affairs happen every day. What doesn’t happen every day? The wife and the girlfriend meeting at a bar, discovering they liked each other, and then confronting Jen’s husband that same night.

Smart, uproarious and utterly relatable, You’re Not Pretty Enough is chock full of truths and provides an example of how to be comfortable in your own skin and ultimately live a full life (even if you screw up, royally, along the way).

You can learn more about Jennifer at her website, Facebook and Twitter.

Top 5 Happy List (in no particular order)

1. Hanging out with people I like, which includes (most!) of my family, my friends and people in my community. We usually have interesting, fun conversations and I always feel happy while spending time with them.

2. Alone time. Whether it's reading or taking a walk while listening to music, I love time by myself to reflect internally or just clear my head nearly as much spending time with people.

3. Exploring. I'm often happiest in a new city/town poking around its neighborhoods and ducking into its shops, cultural institutions and restaurants/bars.

4. Doing my best at work. All (well most) of us have to pay the bills by working a job we don't necessarily love, but spend a lot of time at/on. A few years ago I learned that if you do the best job at the task in front of you (no matter the task), you'll feel happier. And if you just can't, it's time to look for a new thing (easier said than done in this economy, I realize).

5. And the last is a tie for french fries and ice cream. Give me a lightly salted, slightly vinegary, slightly crispy/oily on the outside, fluffy on the inside batch of fries or pretty much any Ben and Jerry's pint (froyo too) and I'm a real happy camper.

Thanks to Jennifer for visiting with us and sharing her book with our readers.

How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


US/Canada only. Giveaway ends September 29th at midnight EST.