Hermione's Jealousy (Was Ron & Jealousy)

[serenadust <jmmears@comcast.net>]

No: HPFGUIDX 52948

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "corinthum <kkearney at s...>" 
<kkearney at s...> wrote:
> Greicy wrote:
>  
> > She is, of course, more mature than them and realizes that 
beauty 
> > comes from the inside.  At least I think she does, because we 
all 
> > remember her crush towards the goodlooking Lockhart.  Yet like
> every 
> > other girl she feels as though she's not pretty enough to get
> Ron's, 
> > or Harry's, attention.  Which makes us go back to square one 
with 
> > Hermione: her lack of self confidence. 

 
Corinth replied:
> 
> Lack of self-confidence?  Did I miss something?  Is this a common
> conclusion about Hermione?  I've never seen it mentioned before, 
but
> then I don't usually read SHIP threads, so I may have missed it. 
> 
> Anyways, my two cents...
> 
> I've never seen Hermione as lacking in self-confidence.  Just the
> opposite, Hermione has always struck me as an extremely assured and
> confident girl, especially for her age.  

<snip>
> 
> As a matter of fact, regarding her appearance, I'd say this is 
where
> Hermione shows the most confidence.  A person with low self-esteen 
and
> self-confidence is much more likely to care about her looks.  We 
have
> seen Hermione actually take time to primp only once, before the 
Yule
> Ball.  Otherwise, despite Draco and friends' taunts, she really
> doesn't care.  She has confidence in herself, and doesn't need 
people
> to fawn over her.  This is extremely rare in a 14 year old girl. 
> Also, while Harry is upset by Rita's articles, Hermione once again
> let's the taunts roll off her back.  At an age when most kids cave 
in
> to peer pressure, Hermione is comfortable being herself.
> 
> So, overall, I'd say Hermione is very confident in her own 
abilities. 


I've searched in vain for the videotape with my recording of 
the "Harry Potter & Me" A&E Biography shown several times last 
year, so I can't provide an exact quote.   If you can find a 
transcript anywhere on the web, I'm certain that there's a part 
where JKR describes herself when she was young as massively 
insecure, and using overachievement as a way of compensating for 
feeling less than wonderful about herself.  She went on to say that 
she had used this trait in developing Hermione as a character.

Personally, I've always seen her as being quite insecure in terms of 
her own attractiveness, so this statement from Rowling more or less 
confirmed that impression.

Jo Serenadust