Since the first moment my mother held me in her arms, my blonde hair was easily visible. Everyone marveled at this physical characteristic. I was genetically built to be the blondest child that my family had seen. Each thick strand was nearly white — about the color of fresh snow. In this instant, not much thought was heavily regarded towards it. In fact, opinions based on this feature were absent from conversation. However, over the years, this notion quickly changed.
In addition to my natural platinum colored hair, God also gifted me with ever-changing blue eyes. This combination of blonde hair and blue eyes made me a real-life Barbie in the eyes of my peers. Together, we embraced it. Our adolescent selves were intrigued by our differences, rather than opposed to them. We understood that our distinctions were unique and something to be appreciated. We did not categorize each other by our looks, but focused primarily on our ability to enjoy each other’s company. At our ripe age, all that mattered was that our materialistic Barbies treated each other with respect. As a result, we mirrored our actions off theirs.
Although, along the way this concept was lost. As we progressed in age, we become our Barbies. We became controlled by other’s actions. Just as we had once directed every word and movement of our toys, societal pressures managed our adolescent selves. Bonds between the recent masters rapidly deteriorated. The new common law was to pass judgement on those unlike yourself. Therefore, the physical features that classified me figuratively as Barbie, my blonde and blue eyes, were in the crossfire.
Originally, it began with snarky comments regarding my intellectual capabilities. I was deemed unfit to ever hold a high paying job. Instead, I would become a trophy wife. My future would hold claim to becoming the visible representation of my future family. I could scratch the idea of ever attending a prestigious college or receiving academic adulations. My whole life had been dictated by society’s stereotypes before I even had the chance to prove I was capable of otherwise. This progressed as I entered into my high school years. However, my first impressions were not limited to lacking intellectual thought. In addition, I was assumed to be easily controlled by men. The popular perception was that if a guy gave me his attention, I’d give him mine.
I found my peer’s thoughts to be limiting. I was expected to act in one specific manner — one in which did not correlate to my values or personality. In all honesty, I was the complete opposite of their first impressions. I had ambition to leave the community and focus all my attention on my career. I had no interest in playing the role that society had created for me. I would not forfeit myself as a person in order to fit into their perfectly categorized boxes. I may have had all the same physical characteristics of Barbie, but I would not be controlled like her.
This mentality has continued with me today. As I emerged out of my first year of college, I’ve learned that you do not have to accept the surrounding idea. Quite frankly, going with society’s flow is overrated. The day we learn to cut the puppet strings that tie our appearances to our forced personalities is the day we become freed. Our uniqueness is something so simple yet underused. I believe it’s about time that we reunite ourselves with our younger perception — the one absent from popular thought. We are in control of our destiny. No physical aspect should ever define it for us. Just as I am not confined to the blonde hair and blue eyes stereotype that I received at birth, you are not forced to accept the label that surrounds your phenotype. Disconnect from the reins that society controls us by and reinvent yourself. Become whomever you wish to be, whether that refers to what you look like or how you act.
