The online definition of weird from Dictionary.com is “involving or suggesting the supernatural; unearthly or uncanny, the fantastic and bizarre.” So, I’d like to start off by saying that whenever anyone calls you weird, treat it as a compliment. They are insinuating that you are not like anyone else. Because if you think about it who wants to be like the girl you sit next to in math class. It could just be me, but being “typical” has never been an asset of mine. Weird has been one of those words that has had its meaning changed over the course of history. To some it is a derogatory term, but to me to be weird is to be someone who externally expresses themselves like no one else. Which brings me to the question, “Why am I weird?” First of all, I have a very artistic temperament, which leads me to doing things that people might consider out of the ordinary. Such things as painting my entire face with wet eyeshadow for photoshoots or wearing bizarre outfits in the middle of the park as all the walkers and runners stumble by in confusion. For that, I am “weird” because that is how I express myself. I am also weird in the way (I am quoting my friend) that I am “too spontaneous.” I have to admit sometimes I’ll do something or say something without thinking beforehand, which usually results in a grand adventure or in the complete opposite direction. But I’m proud of my weird style and personality because I’m proud and happy of who I am, and so should everyone.

I know in elementary up through high school, social life mimicked very much of a hierarchy scale. Depending on what you wore to school, the grades you made, and the people you associated yourself with, you belonged in a particular clique. As for me, I was that person that was friends with everyone, so I moved up and down the social pyramid. I had some friends that were “weird” and people would call them that, but never in a hurtful or mean way. In other words, since I had a good high school experience and bullying was never an issue we all accepted who the other person was; their bizarre personality, their standout wardrobe. But I know in other situations and other schools, people would call other’s weird as a way to bring them down and crush their confidence. This upsets me, because just by calling someone who isn’t like you weird makes them as weird to you as you are weird to them. The issue is that the majority of people that talk the same, act the same, and look the same exclude those who are not like them, and call them weird. This is how the word weird has been altered over the years. I think that reason is because of the influence of pop culture, and how (I know how cliché this sounds) but everyone wants to be like the celebrities, and if you are completely opposite, we’ll then call you weird. Be you. Don’t be like the glossy model with all her imperfections airbrushed away. Be you.

To call someone with a disability weird, is rude and unfitting. There are certain occasions when you can call someone weird and when you cannot. It depends on the person saying it and who is receiving it. For example, I have many close friends who know me so well and I know when they call me weird it is not an insult, but rather a cool unique trait of mine. Which then leads me to tie being unique into being weird. If you're unique than you are weird, and if you are weird then you are unique. According to me they're interchangeable. But I know in the modern world today, many people don’t view weird as the way I understand it. In Old English, rude meant fate and destiny. To me that meaning sounds so much more inspirational and futuristic than today’s. I hope reading this article will change how you understand the word “weird”, and think about it how you use it the next time.

Everyone is unique in this world. There really is no one that has identical personalities, faces, and bodies. Even if it is close in resemblance there will be something off. So, with that, we are all weird, because you are bizarre and yet fascinating to others. Embrace your weirdness!

XOXO