I have spent my whole life in a small town bubble, where everyone shared a similar way of life and thought. I was lucky to grow up in a household where I was told I was smart enough to curate my thoughts and ideas. Equality has been a topic of conversation my entire life. To me, feminism was portrayed in a particular light. Even though I became more educated on the topic o inequality and advocated for equality, I have never considered myself a feminist. I too am opposed to labels, not just this one. If I accepted the labels that I most identify with I think I too would be considered “bad”.

I have this fear that every time I speak out or call someone out for something that isn’t right I am labeled as annoying. If I ask for respect from another person I am labeled as crazy. I am labeled as angry because there are so many injustices in this world that can’t go unrecognized. No human wants to be treated poorly. No human wants to feel stuck in this box that society has placed them in. Every human has the same needs–love and joy.

Nguyen hates the category she is placed in solely based on her name and culture. Gay hates that she can not fit perfectly into a category. You cannot negotiate the category people have put you in. The box is tight and unfair. Nguyen wants to escape and does. Gay feels like it is better to accept it, yet allow herself to just herself even if that does not mean she fits the perfect mold. Just because as a society we have these categories doesn’t mean everyone will fit into them perfectly or that even though it may seem that they belong there it may not be true.