Sometimes I think of my 15 year old self, who had ideals and morals and values and they were a little punk and a little grunge but the kind that doesn’t care about fashion and consumerism instead of being an aesthetic, and a huge tomboy, too. And they swore they'd never change to be liked or give in and conform, and then one hot summer day she stepped out in a tanktop and jean shorts and felt weirdly normal. Her classmates looked at her like a person and for the first time she felt kind of human among them. She eventually got a boyfriend, he's loving, kind and supportive, despite her weird childhood interests and quirks, even though he never fully gets it. I go on tiktok and see a beautiful, pretty girl and she says that as a lesbian she avoids dating bi girls, because in her experience they look at her in a way, even flirt, but then they turn out to have a boyfriend. 80% or some other high number of bi girls end up with a man anyway. Many have only been with men, can’t decenter them completely. It hurts to hear her say this. And obviously I know it's not all bi girls, but I can't say she's wrong eighter. I wouldn’t want me eighter. My boyfriend says people would like me more if I was more myself. I think of my 15 year old self and how they thought and what they believed in and I know they'd hate me and I know my boyfriend wouldn’t like them at all. I'm not breaking up with him because he's the best friend I've ever had, and he's nice to me. What I'm saying is I think we need to stop pretending that being yourself will make more people like you. Is this poetry yet?