A Wild Child?

what type of person do you imagine when you hear the term "wild child?" could it possibly be someone who is a rebel, smokes, drinks, and basically raises hell? well, thats what i used to think of when i heard that term. but i have grown to learn that a wild child isn't necessarily a negative term.

i would consider myself to be a wild child and i do none of the aforementioned things. my breed of wild child is the kind who doesn't give a poo what other people think of them. they aren't afraid to be their wild, crazy, enthusiastic selves wherever and whenever. they don't gray out their personalities just because they are afraid of being judged.

coming to college has taught me that i shouldn't be concerned with what others think of me. their opinions won't matter in the grand scheme of things anyway. they aren't the people that will be the ultimate judge of my character. so while i'm here on earth why not be who i am?

i have gotten many sideways glances from people on campus because of what i do. i laugh, sing, walk crazy, and do bizarre things. i have formed the habit of mooning my friends. they have become accustomed to seeing my white butt. while to them its simply betty just being betty, to people not in my circle of friends its a person being socially awkward. this has also happened at meal times. they play music in the KCC and my friends and i found ourselves singing to the tunes. it was a friday night at 6 o'clock. we weren't being too terribly loud but the guy behind us told us to "turn it down a few notches." we couldn't get over what he had said. true, we can get a little loud but in this instance we were simply being happy people enjoying our dinner and the music that was being played. this isn't the only instance of this happening.

later that day and the weeks after i found myself wondering why people hold back in public? why can't they just break down all of those barriers and be their true selves? we are supposed to blend in and not draw attention to ourselves. only in the confines of our secret lives are we allowed to be ourselves.

i think that a big part of this belief comes from the norms of our society. if you don't fit into the norms then you are a "freak." society wants us to fit into a mold where everyone acts and dresses alike and no one stands out. true, there are some magazines that tell us to create, for example, our own sense of fashion style but they always have rules to go along with it. they try to give us pointers on how to make our style unique. but if everyone follows those rules and tips it turns a unique style into the norm.

i find myself falling for some of the norms but i try to be myself 100% of the time. i want to show others who i truly am. i don't want to have a split personality. i don't want to have to be someone who i'm not in public. if that means that people think im weird or a freak then so be it. i'm not going to change who i am just so i can "fit in."

so when people look at me they might not think that i am a wild child. they simply thrust a disgusted look my way. but to me all of the crazy things i do make me happy. they make me who i am and i won't let society take that away from me.