My Inner Ape.
I’m a 17-year-old with a growing beard.
It’s coming out bushy and in parts.
I’ve decided not to shave it because I would like for it to fully grow, however, I just got the strangest remark.
Someone just told me I look like an ape.
That hurt.
Something that I’ve been giving a lot more thought to in the past weeks is my growing beard.
I’m aware that I need to clean it up a bit, but I don’t look like an animal.
So many people have come up to tell me that I need to shave or trim. I know.
Every time I look in the mirror, I think about what people think when they see it or when I’m talking to them. Then I remember…
I didn’t really ask.
It applies to a lot.
I’m aware that they cannot possibly know of the insecurities I have surrounding my fuzzy face, and neither do I expect them to ask how I feel about it.
My beard used to be a symbol of growing into manhood, and I would like to change that.
It’s a symbol of my inner confidence.
By having this beard, I feel like I’m unapologetically being who I am. It’s a testament to my goofiness, neediness, thoughts, opinions, and everything in-between.
The bushier it gets, the more people have things to say, and the more opportunity I have to change how I feel about their words — the more I can be proud of myself.
Reflection
Maybe I should ask people how they feel before giving my thoughts. I believe most people are unaware of what someone may be feeling inside and there are encounters when people feel attacked when insecurities are naively brought up. I’ll practice that more. How do you feel today?
