The Dangerous Game of Comparison: Why Jodie’s Story Deserves Respect

 

Two paths. Same destination. Just because someone walked through darkness doesn’t mean they don’t deserve the light.


I saw a comment today that really got under my skin.


It was in response to a post about Full House alum Jodie Sweetin, who has never shied away from speaking up for what’s right. The post was celebrating her advocacy work—her fierce voice for equality and compassion. But someone decided to turn it into a comparison.


A comparison between Jodie Sweetin and Candace Cameron Bure.


It wasn’t about their careers or activism—it was about who they are as people, based entirely on their personal lives. One woman was praised for being married for 28 years, having healthy kids, and maintaining a “picture-perfect” image. The other? Dismissed for having multiple marriages, children with different partners, and a history of addiction.


And that’s where I want to stop and say: this is exactly the kind of mindset that’s hurting people.


We Are More Than Our Struggles


First of all, let’s get this straight—struggles do not make someone less valuable.Life is not a perfectly curated Instagram feed. Many of us don’t follow a clean-cut path from Point A to Point B. We stumble, we fall, we choose the wrong people, we grow apart, we rebuild, and we try again.


Having multiple marriages or children from different relationships doesn’t make someone a failure or a bad example. It means they kept showing up. It means they didn’t give up on love or on life—even when it got messy.


There are people who’ve been married for decades and are absolutely miserable. People who stay “together” but are emotionally absent, verbally abusive, or cold and unkind. Longevity isn’t always the flex people think it is.


The Comparison is Cruel—and Flawed


Let’s not forget—Candace Cameron Bure has openly spoken about her own struggles with body image and a severe eating disorder. And you know what? That doesn’t make her weak. It makes her human.


Just like Jodie’s battles with addiction don’t make her unworthy of admiration.


They both went through pain. They both coped in different ways. The only real difference is how we treat those stories based on who fits our idea of “acceptable.”


Compassion Over Perfection


Here’s what I know: I’d rather have a heart that bleeds for others than a life that just looks good from the outside. I’d rather show up for the misfits, the hurting, the struggling, the imperfect, than throw stones from a glass house built on appearances.


This world doesn’t need more people silently judging from afar.


It needs more people who speak truth even when it’s uncomfortable.


It needs more people like Jodie, who have been through it and came out with even more compassion for others.


For Anyone Who’s Felt Like They Weren’t Enough


If you’ve ever been through a divorce—or two or three—if you’ve ever found yourself picking up the pieces of a life that didn’t turn out the way you imagined… you’re not alone. You’re not broken. And you sure as hell aren’t less worthy of love, dignity, and respect.


You’re human. And being human means being complex, messy, beautiful, and resilient.


In the End…


I’m not here to pit two women against each other. I’m here to say we’ve got to stop using personal struggle as a measuring stick for someone’s value.


Because the truth is—I don’t care if someone’s been married once or five times.

I care how they treat people.

I care if they show up with kindness.

I care if they fight for those without a voice.


And on that front? Jodie Sweetin is doing just fine.

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