That little dress
I was six when I asked mom for the first and the last time to buy me a dress, not because I wanted a dress per se, but because I wanted people to stop telling me I’m not feminine enough — to stop hurting my pride. I voluntarily wore the dress to an important occasion and received much approval from my relatives. Splendid, right? In truth, it ended up inflicting much deeper secondary hurt on myself. After that horrendous experience, I have never worn a dress which isn’t part of the uniform. And now when people (including my relatives) comment on how I should express my gender, I politely ask them to mind their own business with a smile on my face
Fitting in might give you a short respite, but it will gnaw at your soul bit by bit until there’s nothing left. Time to be unapologetic about who you are and be your authentic self.
Welcome to my Ted Talk.
