This I Believe

Their eyes are piercing and judgmental. They whisper and alter their pathway to avoid me. I try to ignore their actions and go about my business but I continue to ponder why people judge me because of my body modifications. I don’t judge them because they have unmarked skin or normal earrings. I try to prove their judgments, whatever they may be, wrong and smile at them. However a smile is not as productive as a conversation could be.

At work I always get a chance to talk to someone who seems unsure of my appearance or is judgmental of it. As I bag their groceries they tend to ask me about my school life or future. I really enjoy when this happens because I get to prove all their perceptions they have about people with body modifications wrong.

The most memorable conversation I had with someone at work was with a pretentious doctor. I greeted him as I began to bag his groceries and made sure he found everything he was looking for. He had a large order and surprisingly decided to start a conversation with me. He asked me about my school life and I could tell he wasn’t expecting much of an answer. I told him about going to Tolles Career and Technical Center and the Pre-Vet Tech program I was in. He didn’t ask anymore after I said that, but I went on about school anyways. He seemed surprised when I mentioned all the activities I was involved with, especially National Technical Honor Society.

This stirred up his curiosity enough to ask about my future plans. I happily told him about the college I’m going to and the scholarship I earned. I explained how I plan on majoring in Clinical Laboratory Sciences. He seemed impressed that I was going into the health field, just like he had. By the time I was done bagging his groceries, his view on people with body modifications had completely changed. I was pleased with this accomplishment.

People should not judge someone by how they choose to modify their body. People should be judged by what’s on the inside of them, not the outside. You can never truly know someone until you get know them and actually have a conversation with them. I believe people should be defined by who they are and not what they look like.