deny oneself

“My Happy Ending” may at times feel modest, but the lessons imparted are far from disposable, including the idea that life is too short to deny oneself treats or wear uncomfortable shoes.

Resistance might not be futile, but to deny oneself the amiably goofy charms of South Korea’s “Secret Zoo,” an inspired family comedy that gives fresh meaning to faux fur, would be a real shame.

In her 2017 book Hunger, Roxane Gay wrote about what it is like to deny oneself desire when the world tells us we are not worthy of it, when one tries “to love or at least tolerate this body in a world that displays nothing but contempt for it”.

It’s a big mistake, I think to deny oneself a treat over the vague and falsely directed desire to oppose Elitism.

Popular iterations of this phrase often relay the “struggle” as running out of shampoo before running out of conditioner, or of having to deny oneself a donut because swimsuit season is approaching.