Inventing Images

Often times, I hear humorous misconceptions, or better yet, pre-conceptions, of myself and those like myself. I figured I would address some of these ideas nicely for those who may be curious of lifestyles like my own.

I am a good student, and I am not afraid to show it. This does not mean I am a goody two-shoes, or that I sit at home every Friday night looking at a pile of textbooks--this just means that I study and I get things turned in at a pace that fits best for me.

I do not use recreational drugs, nor drink, yet this does not mean I don't hangout with people that do. The photo above is a friend and I. She is 20 years old and has different lifestyle habits than I do, yet we still connect over many preferences and core values. I immerse myself in a variety of people and sides of the story, so that I can accurately judge people.

I am an abstinence and safe-sex educator/advocator, and nope, this does not mean I am against pre-marital sex. The coined term: "abstinence" can be defined as any period of time in which you decide to not engage in sexual activity. You could lose your virginity at 12, have a sexual relationship until 14, and be abstinent until you are 22--it is what ever works best for you. I choose this value for my own life and don't try to change others' minds.

I get along with my parents, respect my teachers and support abstinence, although, this doesn't mean I am religious. As well, I do not support organized religion or any person that claims to be a religion, yet sins within it, however, I do not try to alter the beliefs of others. I believe what I know--my faith begins in knowledge. It is apparent that different people are granted different knowledge.

I am 50% Mexican, but I am not a marijuana dealer (or user), and I did not cross the border illegally. I do not steal, nor do I know very much Spanish. I am an adopted child to two very Caucasian, Russian/Scottish and "German-American" wonderful parents that love me the same as any fully-white child, and, one just so happens to hold a Ph.D degree.

I dress put-together and somewhat stereotypically "preppy"--this does not mean I am an aspiring cheerleader, or am going to say: "Oh my gawd, I broke a nail!" I am one of the least "girly" girls you are ever going to meet. My favorite thing to do when I get done with my daily grind is to kick off my boots, grab a long t-shirt and lounge.

I am a teenager. This does NOT mean I love watching Glee, spend hours getting ready in the morning, act ignorant about every topic known to man, or make bad choices with my life "just because". This is the fun judgement. I like conversing with adults, challenging norms and would pick the Oprah show over Glee any day!

The point of this blog post is: we all judge, but drawing the fine line between judging to be "cool" and judging based upon knowledge is extremely crucial to learning and growing as a humble identity on this earth. Just because an individual acts a certain way does not mean they are the stereotypical type of that appearance or belief. No matter what you have been or are judged for, do not give up. There are people like you out there, all over the world, who are going through judgment and trying to find their voice to correct when others cross that fine line.