This rant comes on the heels of some recent messages between some friends of mine, and it's something I've wanted to go on about for a while...
Now, what exactly do I mean by "trying to perfectly fit in a box"? The answer is relatively simple - trying to force yourself to match stereotypes or social norms, for no valid reason other than trying hard to fit in along a crowd. Like, deciding that you must have a mustache purely because you're a guy, or that you must have long hair because you're a girl, or that you absolutely cannot drive a Honda Odyssey without being a parent, etc...
It's something I'll never understand - why can't one just go ahead & do what they're okay with doing, going one step at a time to find what they like & don't like, irrespective of norms or stereotypes? I see some people literally bend over backward to align perfectly with things, even sometimes violating their own personal values outright, solely to fit a stereotype associated with other things about them.
