For as long as I can remember, I've been called "the short one". That's my label: short. I've never really minded, I mean, it's said with affection and (surprisingly) I've never really been bullied for my size, but sometimes when I hear someone describe me as "the short one", I want to tell them that there's more to me than my general small-ness. Yeah, I'm only 5 foot 3 but there are other things people notice about me. Like, I have this pair of scabby walking boots that I've worn every single day without fail for well over a year now. I like to think that they're a part of who I am now. And I have a weird hybrid accent despite the fact that I've lived in the same Scottish town for 18 years. People notice that. I sometimes get called "the kinda english-y one" if the short label wasn't effective enough. I dress kinda differently. You could use that as my label if you want. I've been called flamboyant a number of times. I love that. Use that one. My point is, there's more to me than my lack of height.
Labels are the worst. People like to label everything and everyone so they can sort stuff into neat little boxes and categories. People label themselves so it's easier for them to tell people who and what they are. Life can get very disorganised sometimes so it can feel comforting to be able to give yourself a nice little label but some labels get old very fast. You're so much more than your label. I was talking about this with a friend the other day and he said that "I think it all comes down to that fundamentally human desire to feel a part of something". I couldn't agree more. You might disagree. Maybe you have a label for yourself and you like that label. Maybe you find comfort in your label. Maybe you finally feel like you can be yourself because of you label. If that's the case, that's brilliant. A label can be a badge of honour. I just think it's vital that you know that you are more than your label because you are. You are so freaking complex and that's wonderful.
Catriona
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