Quote:
Originally Posted by rise__above
I think it's kind of ridiculous to say that disliking ones voice is so horrible. It's no more significant than the fact that I dislike my hair. It is a part of me, no more or less important than my other characteristics. I hate my voice because it is not considered 'typical' for my gender. I was bullied for this for years.
I am also offended that you would suggest 'problem solving' by changing me and not the way that I view myself. I'm mentally I'll, but I know that changing superficial things won't ultimately help.
|
Voice is not a superficial thing. Voice is one of the main tools of relating to other people. Voice communicates words, and verbal communication is important. Voice also expresses and communicates a whole host of non-verbal subtleties that are no less important than verbal signals. So it is basically a whole big world onto itself, and as such, yes, much more significant than hair. Hair can be used to express yourself and to communicate with others, but not to the extent to which voice is used on a daily basis for self-expression and communication.
I am sorry I offended you unintentionally.
I am actually grateful to you for your post because until I read it, I had not realized just how much I love my voice and all the things I can do with that (I can send very subtle yet powerful messages via modulating my voice). I hope that with time you will get to love your voice, as well.
To the extent that your voice is not customary per your gender, this is an issue of gender identity. If you were bullied for it, then also you are suffering from deep trauma that lasted for many years.
I reacted by suggesting problem solving because I have found the problem solving approach to be the simplest one in life, and thus propose it as the first line of defense. If you prefer to dwell on mental illness diagnoses, that is up to you. When I see a message in which a person complains about their skin, my first reaction is to propose that something positive be done to stop hating their skin (topical retinoids, makeup, etc.). If you do not want to be suggested problem solving approaches, you need to stop wasting the time of people who react by suggesting problem solving approaches. In other words, you need to qualify your posts with: "To preempt suggestions that I treat acne, I do not have acne and simply hate my skin due to having a mental illness diagnosis. And, I am posting just for the sake of writing about my hating my skin publicly, and not aiming to improve my skin."
Thank you.