“For years and years, everybody’s desperately afraid to be different, you know, in any way. And then, suddenly, almost overnight, everybody wants to be different, and that is where we win.”

– Mitchell Pritchett in “Modern Family”

When I was in high school I spent so much time in my head. I was so worried about feeling foolish that I stopped myself from truly enjoying life. Embarrassment held me back.

Every year I get older, the more self-assured I get. And I notice in my peers as well — hobbies got weirder, Instagram posts less curated, fashion more experimental. I think that is one of the most beautiful things about aging, you start to care less about what other people think.

-Charlotte Shields-Rossi