Being different is, well...different. In some people’s views being “different” is considered a bad or weird thing. I was adopted when I was a baby and I look a lot different than the rest of my family. I am dark skinned and my family is very fair skinned. Being “different” has come with some struggles but it has also helped me become the person I am today.
Growing up I never really thought about how I was different than the rest of my family (other than the obvious difference in skin color). But even at that I never really thought about it much. To a lot of people, white people are portrayed in a very specific way. For me being raised in a white family is just how I grew up, but how people see me is a dark skinned girl acting like a “typical white girl” (which i don't think that’s true). In middle school is when i actually got thinking about it because of the comments that were made about me. Some students would tell me I’m “like a coconut”, dark on the outside but white on the inside. Even though those comments weren't meant to offend me they definitely affected how I thought of myself. I felt like I was not meant to be how I am, which is totally not true.
After getting different types of comments about how i look vs. my personality, I just felt like I didn't know who I was and if my life is how it should be. This mindset definitely wasn't a good one and it lead me to not feel great about myself, but that is because I felt like being different wasn't good. Finally, i realized i needed to stop thinking about being “different” as being bad. Even though I may look different than my family and my personality is different than what people would think, it doesn't mean I am or need to be treated differently than anyone else. Being different is good.
After accepting than it is okay that i am different made me able to be myself. I have accepted the fact that I may be different what people think but that doesn't mean I have to fit their standards, I only have to fit mine. My family may look different than me but it doesn't change the fact that they are my family who loves me unconditionally. My family has been a huge part of the reason I am who I am, and for that I am so grateful.
Growing up I never really thought about how I was different than the rest of my family (other than the obvious difference in skin color). But even at that I never really thought about it much. To a lot of people, white people are portrayed in a very specific way. For me being raised in a white family is just how I grew up, but how people see me is a dark skinned girl acting like a “typical white girl” (which i don't think that’s true). In middle school is when i actually got thinking about it because of the comments that were made about me. Some students would tell me I’m “like a coconut”, dark on the outside but white on the inside. Even though those comments weren't meant to offend me they definitely affected how I thought of myself. I felt like I was not meant to be how I am, which is totally not true.
After getting different types of comments about how i look vs. my personality, I just felt like I didn't know who I was and if my life is how it should be. This mindset definitely wasn't a good one and it lead me to not feel great about myself, but that is because I felt like being different wasn't good. Finally, i realized i needed to stop thinking about being “different” as being bad. Even though I may look different than my family and my personality is different than what people would think, it doesn't mean I am or need to be treated differently than anyone else. Being different is good.
After accepting than it is okay that i am different made me able to be myself. I have accepted the fact that I may be different what people think but that doesn't mean I have to fit their standards, I only have to fit mine. My family may look different than me but it doesn't change the fact that they are my family who loves me unconditionally. My family has been a huge part of the reason I am who I am, and for that I am so grateful.