When I think about all the stares and rude comments, I can’t help but to feel a bit bitter. I wonder what gives that person the right to be downright despicable to me. I am fully okay with answering questions, but when a person asks in a rude tone as if I did them wrong, that I don’t agree with.

And then there’s the stares which make me feel like a freak show every time I walk in a room. It’s hard to want to stand tall in a society that spits at difference. Where your every flaw and quirk is magnified for every person to see and scrutinize. But strangely enough, it can be done. It would be so easy for me to be rude right back at every person that has been that way to me, but then I have to stop myself and think. What would being rude solve? It would just be another useless fight waiting to happen. I don’t want to stoop down to their level (pun intended).

If there’s one thing I’ve learned is that if you want the confidence necessary to stand tall, you’ve got to use the bad for your good. People will talk. When you’re over 6 feet, they will definitely talk. So, what do you do? You work with it. So what if they talk about you? Ignore them. Or do like me and my sister and make a joke out of it. Don’t give them the satisfaction. The stares can be unnerving at times I know but use them to your advantage. Stand tall with your head held high. Flash a smile. Strike a pose. Make a face. Whatever. If they’re going to stare, really give them something to look at.