“I am not my appearance”

For as long as I can remember I’ve had a problem with making my voice heard. I’ve always been quiet and had trouble with expressing how I feel about things. It leads people to brush me off, talk over me, not take me seriously. My way of standing out has always been modifying my body, wether through tattoos, piercings, dying my hair crazy colors, or when I was younger a whole lot of less healthy avenues.

While modifying myself has allowed me to be a happier person inside and out, the downside is that people have a tendency to treat me based on my looks. Doctors don’t believe me when I have problems, people drag their children away from me in stores (even when I’m with my own children), people stare and point and touch and grab and ask inappropriate questions, and I get followed around in stores a lot by people who think I’m stealing. I just want people to look past what’s on the outside, take me seriously as a person, and realize that I am not my appearance.