Today when I dress, I actively chose to express myself, not repress myself.  While I draw sneers from time to time, my need to please others by repressing my expression has significantly waned.

I chose me and my expression every day. Moreso than ever before.  Life is short, and what I know to be true is that I need to enjoy life and be seen especially in these days that can seem so dark.  This is an important source of relief and joy in my existence.  And for nothing else, maybe I brighten the days of a few outsiders.

People of all circumstances celebrate their life’s choices and assert their identity, from the mega-stars to the quiet librarian to the traffic cop.  Being authentic is not the province of the few but the privilege of all.  Your dress bears witness to your authentic self. 

From the barista to the librarian.  From the everyday to the cultural icon.  The feeling of being unwell nags and the need to express yourself persists.  All need to carve out space for themselves and dress accordingly.

I recently went to see Madonna in concert. She did not disappoint.  Having seen her perform before, what impressed me most was her theatrical celebration of what is her life, our life, my life.  She has always disrupted the status quo and outraged the public.  She remains a strong individual with stylistic prerogative. Madonna once famously said, that the biggest of her audacities was that she stuck around.

For those young queer kids like me who grew up in a small town in the Midwest, she has provided permission and shelter by example—permission to be seen, to take chances, to find myself, and pick myself up, and shelter to be “different” knowing that different can be fun, not scary, and that bravery comes from knowing oneself.  And who knows, maybe we kids can brighten the days, the way she did for this queer 3-year-old, dancing in his aunt’s high heel boots, dreaming of the stars.