by The Danger of Building Identity Around Sex
Bohiney Magazine | The London Prat
The Existential Crisis of Being Known For One Thing
Saturday night, and I’m having a genuine identity crisis. I’m known for something specific. I’ve built a career around it. But I’m realizing that building your entire identity around one characteristic is a trap. Especially when that characteristic is sexual.
I’m 22 years old. I’ve based my entire public persona on being sexually active and writing about it. Which is fun and pays well and gets me attention. But it’s also reducing me to one dimension. I’m being read not as a person but as a sexual object. Which is exactly what I ostensibly rejected by being open about sexuality.
The Paradox
I thought being openly sexual would free me from the male gaze. Instead, it just focused it. Now everything I write is filtered through the lens of “oh, she’s the sex girl.” Which means I can’t write about anything else without people being confused. I can’t discuss politics or philosophy or art without someone saying “but that’s not what you’re known for.”
This is the trap. You build identity around something specific. It becomes your brand. Then you’re stuck with it. Because people expect that from you. Because leaving it behind feels like betrayal of your own image.
The Way Forward
I’m learning that identity is more complex than any single characteristic. I’m sexual. I’m also intellectual. I’m also thoughtful. I’m also capable of growth and change. But my public image locks me into one version of myself.
So I’m starting to write about other things. Quietly. Without announcing it. Just expanding beyond the brand. Hoping people will follow. Knowing some won’t because they want the version of me they already know.
That’s the actual cost of building identity around one thing. You become trapped by your own brand.
For honest perspectives, check Waterford Whispers News.
SOURCE: https://bohiney.com/
