Power Of Labels Essay

Labels are powerful. I’m a sister, daughter, niece, cousin, best friend, co-worker, confidant, masochist, volunteer, submissive, girlfriend, bisexual, sadist, polyamorous teacher... wow! What kind of assumptions would one make by reading that sentence? What would happen if I wore a button that listed all of my “labels”? Would I be treated differently?

I don’t wear a button. In fact, I feel I have to hide my real self most of the time. Sure, I can tell people I’m bisexual. Men get all excited indulging mindfully in their fantasies, and women either get embarrassed, think I’m hitting on them, or start asking me sex questions. Suddenly I’m Dr. Ruth.

Bisexuality wasn’t something that I suddenly “chose”. I didn’t wake up one morning and think, “I’m going to be bisexual today!” It was a

I get a lot of satisfaction from the laughs and smiles I can get out of people. It makes me feel invincible. I don’t rely on sleep, I just go and go and go. I see all my friend, have a blast with life, and make my to-do list my bitch.

And do I talk. I’ve always been an outgoing chatter box, but most of the time I’m all over the place, dominating every conversation. Sometimes I talk and think so fast I can’t keep up with myself and most people around me don’t understand what I’m saying. I also interrupt others a lot and speak on impulse. I always thought it was ADD but really it was symptoms of being bipolar.

Unfortunately when I’m experiencing this ultra-high on life mindset I go out a lot more, spend all my money on other people, and sometimes drink excessively. And my sex drive goes haywire! I crave sex so much more and find myself saying (and sometimes doing) anything to get it. During hypomania I feel like I can do anything. My self-worth and confidence skyrocket. But it takes so much energy. When I burn out, I’ve got nothing left. So I drop and the bad days