Have you ever?

Have you ever stood in front of a mirror, taken a good look at yourself and thought “I feel good in this”? I have. Have you ever walked out the door looking the exact same way and found people staring? And I don’t mean in a good way. I have. And have you ever decided not to look like that ever again merely to avoid those looks people gave you? I have. Way too many times.

See, when you live here, people think your creepers are orthopedic shoes designed for the elderly. People see your tattoo and immediately label you “would not hire” or “don’t want as a daughter in law”. They notice the purple locks in your hair and think you’re completely off the rails, dyed your hair purple to piss off your parents or something.

Can’t stand it. And you know what the worst part of it all is? Even your peers will judge, criticize and label you. You wear dark makeup? GOTH You got a sidecut? PUNK You have two dreads in your hair? HIPPIE Point here is, i’m neither one of those things. I’m just me. People always say personal style is so friggin’ important, but the second your style gets too far out of the box… it’s over. The minute you deviate from what’s socially accepted as “fashionable”, you’re a goth, a punk, a hippie.

Labeling is ridiculous. When you look up “labeling” on Wikipedia, you’ll find it means “describing something or someone in a word or short phrase”. Now imagine someone describing you, all of you, in one single word. If someone would describe me as “easy going”, what about the times when people are rude, dishonest or just being a jerk? Easy going is the last word you’d use to describe me. What if somebody captured me as “funny”? Well if they did, they didn’t cover the first three hours after I wake up in the morning.
Well, this is me. All of me. Not just one side, not just the side everybody wants to see. Just me.
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