“Am I rich? Well, compared to who? Compared to the richest people in New York City? Then no, I’m not rich. But compared to, say, the very richest people who lived a hundred years ago? Well, on that comparison, I’m incredibly wealthy,” Worthy says.
To be sure, comparison has become almost impossible to escape. Social media has created a culture in which we are constantly exposed to curated evidence of other people’s success: engagements, babies, promotions, apartments, weddings, vacations, and friend groups that seem effortlessly intact. At the same time, widening class divides mean many of those milestones genuinely are becoming less attainable for large numbers of people.
In romantic contexts, I can admit that I am always, I repeat always, jealous when I see someone I am dating or interested in speaking to another woman. Reflecting on those moments now, I realize that the emotion is less about possessiveness than fear. I fear that I am replaceable, forgettable, or not enough.