Do I really care what my neighbor’s cousin thinks about me entering a beauty pageant? Or that former classmate who only bullied me back in the second grade, my 16-year-old classmate, or my boyfriend’s teammate? No, because I’m proud of it. I’m happy about it. It’s a time I’ll never forget. I’ve come a long way and have been able to achieve this, and I’m so incredibly proud of that. You can think whatever you want, but I’m proud! I never really fit in anywhere before. “You were always different, and everyone around you could tell.” From dancing on tables at scouts at the wrong moments to cutting my long hair super short—“manly” short—during my senior year of high school, I’ve known shame. But I didn’t want to feel it, because honestly, who really notices you? One among billions of people on this earth, one among millions in this country. Is that one pretty girl who stared at you on the train on a random Wednesday in March really going to remember you just because you stepped out of the shower and your hair wasn’t fully dry? Is that cashier at the supermarket really going to remember that you were there on a Saturday evening 10 minutes before closing time, in leggings, with your hair in a bun, no makeup, and grabbing a bag of chips? It’s okay to feel insecure; insecurity is part of life. But is it really necessary to feel ashamed for that one time you didn’t wear makeup or didn’t have the perfect outfit? So many days to live as a person, so many nights to lie awake overthinking, so many minutes in front of the mirror trying to present your best self. But for who? That guy on the train you made 0.5 seconds of eye contact with? No. You dress for yourself. You cut your hair “manly” short for yourself. You make those choices for you. Everyone chooses how they express themselves. Everyone should be allowed to be who they want to be. It’s too much effort to form an opinion about every single one of the millions of people in this country or the billions on this earth.