Go You!

"Indian" is not the only stereotype circulating the block. Sherman Alexie is not alone in his battle against this judgemental classification of human beings.

In middle school, I was "that emo kid." Hair as black as an abyss, eyeliner so thick I could pass for a raccoon, and skinny jeans so tight that belts lost their purpose.

I was emo. Emo was I.
I was goth. Goth was I.
I was stereotyped. Stereotyped was I.

I was hurt, too. Hurt, too, was I.

Fifth grade. No, this early on I had not built up an emo wardrobe, but my personality reflected such a label.  Silent, glaring, and (constantly) swearing, the label stuck to my forehead like gum under a dining room table.

Sixth grade. When my pre-algebra teacher assigned the class seats, I inevitably got paired with an "Asian nerd".  Christine was forced to sit next to my spiked head. "You scared me when I first met you," she confided in me.

Others were sincerely afraid of me. Funny thing is, in retrospect, I was afraid of myself, too. Not my emoness, but rather my true personality. My true being. And for that reason, I hid myself in the dark, under layers of black fabric. There was no way in the world that my true essence was worth radiating to others. Who was I anyway? How was I supposed to communicate my individuality to others if I had no idea what this meant? Thus, I clung for dear life to the character that was easiest to be--emo Bri.

Seventh grade. The harassment continued
. On the bus, kids stroked my hair as they walked through the isle. They secretly snapped photos of me at seven in the morning from the back of the bus. My personal paparazzi. However, by this time, my caramel roots began to show and I no longer had the energy to maintain such a drastic style. Nor the money. (Decent eyeliner is seven bucks a pop!)

Eighth grade. I impulsively chopped my hair off. I was now strutting a preppy bob. Jaw-length. The stereotyping ceased, but an air of labels still lingered as I walked through the halls of Smith Middle School.

I needed to go through that experience. Some call it a phase, I call it a stepping stone. A stepping stone to the discovery of who Brianne Yeskey really is:

Amiable.
Bri.
Creative.
Dedicated.

Be you. Create your own label, because if you don't, others will do it for you. Don't be afraid to be yourself. Don't be afraid of yourself. Today you are you, and that's truer than true... Woohoo! Go you!