If I had a nickel for every time somebody told me that I was not as intimidating, scary, or mean as I looked...I might actually graduate with no debt.

Unfortunately, that is not the case.

However, it is just my face that causes these misunderstandings. Welcome to the daily life of a girl with persistent "Resting Bitch Face."

Seriously. I know that sounds like a classic example of depreciation but it really is something I have just come to accept.

"Resting Bitch Face," as it has been so lovingly termed, has played a role in my social interactions for as long as I can remember. People that have gotten to know me better over the years have almost always said something along the lines of "you know...you aren't as scary as I thought you would be" or "you're so much nicer than I thought you would be" or even "I was really afraid of you before I got to know you."

As long as you avoid the classic "you should try to smile more," I don't mind these comments. I know that my facial expression (or lack thereof) can sometimes be a little intimidating. Trust me, I know what my face looks like when I'm bored, focused, or even just relaxed.

I wouldn't talk to me either at these points if I didn't know my own true personality.

In fact, I believe I can partially blame myself for this perception. I was not a very fun person throughout my sophomore and junior years of high school and that definitely did not help. Stress got to me as I worried about getting into college, passing my APs, and getting a hefty amount of scholarship offers (perfectionist 101 was a course I should have not only gotten credit for but taught during these years).

Once I learned that these things were important but were not worth the amount of stress that I placed on myself, I started to feel a little more relaxed. Maybe my "RBF" relaxed as well during this time because I've noticed that fewer people have told me that they were currently afraid to approach me, but I continue to get comments that they had been in the past.

To those people, I'm glad you decided to take the risk that I might "rip your face off" and talked to me. I promise it really is just my face...I am (at least I like to believe I am) really a nice person. All it takes is a little bit of conversation to soften the RBF and break into my true personality. I'm shy and that doesn't help this predicament but I'm working on it. Once I get to know people and start talking, it can be hard to get me to shut up.

Just remember: for every hateful expression, there is an equal and opposite happy (and probably goofy) expression.