Why Authentic People Are Intimidating

 I have recently been placed in an environment where all eyes have been on me for various reasons. First, only one person had ever met me before and second this person only had superficial awareness of who I am. Yet, I could read the faces and boy did they tell the story. There is clearly something about me that rubs certain people the wrong way. Mind you, I was purposefully quiet most of the time I was in the presence of my new acquaintances. I believe my silence only made it worse because they were not readily able to make a determination of who they perceived me to be. 

Authentic people are intimidating because we do not create a persona to fit into what the world deems acceptable. 

Persona--the public image, social facade, or mask of identity an individual presents to the world, often distinct from their true personality.

The closest I come to having a  persona is during professional situations. I will code switch where my tone and annunciation becomes more precise, other than that my personality remains the same. I find that once people see that I'm basically the same anytime they encounter me.  I am who I am with most everybody I encounter. I do not make any adjustments to how I present myself. I speak my mind and often will say what others only dare to think. This truth seems to throw folk off every time. I hear, "I was thinking that, but I can't believe you said it."

Authenticity--is the quality of being genuine, real, true, or sincere, rather than an imitation of falsehood. It signifies that something is trustworthy, authoritative, or accurately represents supposed origins or character. 

The world seems to be moving towards a more fake reality. Social media has propelled people to hide behind the lens of a camera. Time and time again these false realities are being revealed. People claiming to be this, that and the other are proven to be flat out lying, faking or covering up their true selves. 

I, on the other hand, and other authentic people do not use our energy to hide who we are from others. We are secure in our skin and sure of our character and ability to relate in a real way with others with intentions of leaving a true representation of who we think we are by being who we are in their presence. I have been told numerous of times, "You are nothing like I thought you were."

Sometimes I ask who they thought I was, but I have heard it so much I don't bother anymore. Yet, this last experience has had me looking deeply into how I represent myself, but I only find I can only be me. I was told, "You're stuck up. You think you know everything. You're always dressed up."

I asked someone did they think I was stuck up and they said, "No, but, you give Diva vibes."

Anytime there is a "but" they mean what they are denying. 

Diva--is a highly celebrated and talented female singer, particularly in opera, or a successful, glamorous performer in pop culture. Originating from the Italian word for "goddess," it now often describes a temperamental, high-maintenance person who acts entitled. It is also defined as--a woman who knows her worth, set boundaries, and acts as a "female version of a hustler."

Based on my awareness of the various definitions of the word diva, I accepted her response. Still, the look on her face every time I'm in her presence gives, "You think you're..."

The beauty of being authentic is you don't have to worry or care about what others think of you because you're not faking or lying who about who you are. Being authentic is not easy initially. There is so much work one has to do to remove the voices of those who often are supposed to uplift you, but has torn you down. There were remnants of myself authentic self that I was able to salvage as I embarked on reclaiming who I believe I was born to be. One has to be willing to deny what they have been told and how people have tried to treat them. They must be deliberate and intentional when it comes to deciding the person they feel is most real to them. 

People who are intimidated by authentic people are lazy and imposters who wants to take the easy way of following the crowd. Doing what everyone else is doing, acting like everyone acts and going along to get along. 

All I know is what other folk eat don't make me fat.