#i love being a horrible social person but can deck you with knowledge

[sui-generis-nullus]

Noo you can't feel c o l d. Let me give you all the hugs :(( I need some hugs too.. woah she seem so annoying and me no like her already. But you read :oo I could never-- I'm proud^^ -✨

aakakajan i always mess up on saying numberssss. that and i read better in my head when i’m not public speaking like most people.. i’m coldddddd thooooooooo, i love a good cold morning but it’s t o o cold.

i should pay attention to what she’s saying but last year i got the max score with a not finished essay so i’m g o o d

[toadallytickles]

Hey Jess! Pretty personal question, but I really valued your breakdown of your sexuality, and so I was hoping you might be open to sharing your experience with your gender identity? I’ve read descriptions and explanations, but it’s all very clinical and detached. Was hoping you’d be willing to share! If not, that’s okay, and thanks for reading!

Hey there, anon! I’m very okay with personal questions like this! Also it's perfect for Pride Month! 🌈 I’m really happy to hear you enjoyed my sexuality posts! That means a lot! I like being open and talking about these personal experiences and feelings because it may help someone else! :)

I’m a little worried that I may not answer this the way you want, or be able to break it down like my sexuality post as I actually have been questioning and unsure of myself for months now. I’m honestly not the most up-to-date or knowledgeable on a lot of genders and terms either! I’m currently learning and discovering my gender, and honestly it's at a point it's a little frustrating.

I’ll still share my gender experience though! :)

I definitely was a tomboy growing up; I liked catching frogs and snakes, getting dirty in the marshes or just in the backyard, I like playing boy characters, and preferred hanging out with the boys, preferred boy-marketed toys! But I was bullied a lot, throughout elementary school and a bit through high school. And that made me feel like an ugly girl, an undesirable girl. Along with that, I hated puberty- haha! I hated having a period, and having to shave my legs. And all this made me wish I was a boy, and want to be a boy! Like maybe I would be better liked by my peers as a boy, maybe I would be accepted. I can remember asking my mum if I could have a sex change four times in the past! She said no, of course. It wasn’t even because I felt like a boy deep down, I was just so sick of being a girl and having to do “female-assigned things.”

This is embarrassing for me to share, though when I was in grade 8 (I’m 13 years old) my sister wanted to see Justin Bieber’s Never Say Never documentary in theatres- I had the choice of seeing that, or Gnomeo and Juliet. I wasn’t interested in celebrities or had crushes then, but I was a little curious about Justin’s story. Welp, that documentary turned me into a huge Belieber. I practically fell in love with him, and felt like the most beautiful girl listening to his songs, and my room was decked out with posters! But I look back now on my love for him and laugh, because it definitely wasn’t just a romantic crush.. I did want to be him, or a cute boy like him. This part gets awakened when Justin Bieber guest starred on CSI: Las Vegas as a character named Jason McCann… and I have no idea why, but I was obsessed with the character he played. This is when I started wearing plaids, dressing masculine, and wanted to cut my hair short. I was so in love with this fictional kid that on a birthday cake when I was turning 18, the name written on it was “Jessica McCann”, I made a Build-A-Bear based on Jason, and when my moms went to Vegas, they brought me back a CSI: Las Vegas t-shirt, and I never even watched the show! Only the episodes Justin Bieber was in, which was just two I think. Oh, also I was Justin Bieber for Halloween once! This really was a bad case of, “do I like him, or do I want to be him?” And don’t worry- I’m no longer a Belieber, my crushes are entirely gone, and I actually don’t pay mind to celebrities these days! Though I still sing along to younger Bieber songs~

The desire to cut my hair short was for years, though it was in high school when the desire was strong and I was always talking about it and researching it. I had horrible self-esteem and social anxiety back then too; I was constantly reading articles on what men thought about women with short hair, because I always put others’ opinions before mine and craved acceptance. And these readings were conflicting because some were empowering, and some were just.. straight up mean! I didn’t want to be even more ugly and undesirable than I already was! Come grade 11 (I’m 16), I met a girl with curly short hair that I admired so much. I loved her hair and how it worked for her. I was so enamoured by her hair, there was this day in Parenting, it was 11am on a Friday, I stared at her a little too long that a crush on her grew on me.. Like I literally felt the crush start seeping into me. And I liked her for 2 whole years; it followed me into college. And we went to different schools! Anyway, because of her, I got my shoulder-length hair cut into a Bieber-esque pixie cut four days before entering grade 12 (I’m 17)! And that was literally one of the best days of my life. Even though I was still super insecure about myself, I was so happy I got my hair cut. It was life changing, it gave me a confidence boost. I really started to feel like me. Like I was meant to have short hair.

Everyone was super surprised by it! And loved it! I got a lot of “It suits you!” but a few “So when are you gonna grow it back?” which was so frustrating! Even though my haircut made me so happy, I was still scared of how boys would view me. I had fears that no one would ever like me or find me pretty. I forced feminine appearances (clothes-wise) to still be attractive to boys even though I was uncomfortable. The summer of 2015 (I’m 18), Orange is the New Black’s Season 3 premieres, and they introduce a new character named Stella Carlin played by Ruby Rose.. and the internet went crazy for her. I did too. When I saw her in the trailer, something immediately awoke in me. I had no idea women could look like that and be loved and accepted and wanted! Looking her up I learned of the words “Androgynous” and “Genderfluid.” I read Ruby Rose’s story and related a lot of what she shared. Androgynous stuck with me. Finally a word to describe how I want to appear! I liked the term Genderfluid, but I dismissed it as I didn’t feel “boy enough” to be able to take the label. Some days I just wished I was a boy and wanted to look like one. I get my first chest binder in 2016 (I’m 19), and wearing it validated something in me. I really liked having a flat chest and appearing masculine, and sometimes being mistaken for a boy! I wore it from time to time, just whenever I felt boyish. Though oddly I haven’t worn it for about a year now. These days I am a lot more comfortable with how my body looks!

I much preferred to be called “Jess” by good friends. My family always called me “Jess,” I didn’t grow up with a nickname, I was just “Jess,” while all my other siblings got nicknames. I was just “Jess,” that when they called me “Jessica,” it was foreign sounding- I wouldn’t recognize it as me. Teachers could call me “Jessica,” but it was weird when friends called me that. I started introducing myself as “Jess” in 2019. I liked that it was unisex. Now I don’t register myself as “Jessica” when it's called.

Androgynous is more used to define gender expression (how a person publicly expresses or presents their gender by behaviour and appearance), though earlier this year I accepted it as my gender identity (how a person feels and experiences their gender) too as I have started to feel some genderfluidity, and its all over the spectrum. Androgynous just feels so comfortable on me. It fits perfectly. Back when I cut my hair, I did identify as a CIS girl, I just liked being masculine. Though over the lockdown, I did a lot of research and self-analyzing. I always knew there was more to me, but I’ll admit that I haven’t been allowing myself to question my gender. Unfortunately I had this phobia that I would come off as annoying or too much for wanting to try pronouns or identifying differently, which I know is so wrong. But I was holding back, and I still kind of do hold back. I know it’s so bad sorry!

I love being a woman and I love womanhood, but frequently I don’t feel like any gender, and sometimes I’m boyish/masculine-feeling, or I wish I were a boy. There’s the random day I fantasize about having a penis! I’ve been doing some research over the pandemic, though nothing is really clicking for me yet! I’m not really sure what labels I’m able to use. And it's tough too because I don’t personally like having a lot of labels for myself! So yeah.. the pandemic has been tough on me mentally too where I just don’t even feel like myself and I’m just floating here. Like I don’t know who I am anymore. It’s been really frustrating honestly.

I have a hard time reading and researching too! It can feel clinical and detached! I always feel like I’m not understanding all the way, or I’m going to choose the wrong labels. I think what you’re doing, asking questions and checking out people you know or understand a little will help you out! There are a ton of YouTubers who educate on gender and sexuality, and talk about their experiences with them! I only started using Androgynous as a gender identity and expression because of a YouTuber I stumbled upon said they used Androgynous for their gender identity and expression! There are also a lot of Tumblrs that educate gender too and accept asks! Or if there’s a label or term you’re curious about, you can reach out to a member who identifies that way and ask what their experience is or how they feel! If they’re open to that. You’re right, this can be a personal question!

At the end of the day, you can’t be wrong with your gender and pronouns. You’re allowed to experiment! If you like how a label, term, or pronoun sounds with you, you’re allowed to take it. And you don’t owe anyone an explanation on why you define yourself that way. Just like with your sexuality! This is about you! And making yourself comfortable! You don’t have to strictly stick to a definition! You can give it a twist and define it for yourself!

This is a lot! And I hope it’s helpful to you! And I hope I didn’t say anything wrong! I know it’s really messy! Please feel free to ask more questions, if you’d like! I love these kinds of questions! It’s okay to be discovering yourself! It can be frustrating and hard, your feelings are always valid, and we constantly grow and discover ourselves! Be patient and kind yourself! Treat yourself how you’d treat a friend! 🌈

[cynthiadshaw]

Community Member Spotlight: Chelsea Burnett | Public Speaker, Photographer & Storm Chaser

Today we’re excited to introduce you to Chelsea Burnett. Chelsea is probably one of the most exciting people we’ve interview – she is professional storm chaser and helps document the power and beauty of Mother Nature. Chelsea is also a content partner and content partners help Voyage in so many ways from spreading the word about the work that we do, sponsoring our mission and collaborating with us on content like this. Check out our conversation with Chelsea below.

Please briefly introduce yourself to our readers. Since the late 1980s, I have obsessed over the Mother Nature phenomenon known as weather. I’m an Oklahoma native, so that’s just a prerequisite to being a storm-chaser (kidding, sort of). I am a mom, a spouse, a friend, and hold several different jobs to make my dreams come true as a passionate chaser of spinning air! As a Texas transplant myself, I realize that most other Texas residents are not long-timers and have a lot to learn when it comes to severe weather awareness. This is the reason I threw my stuttered-speech self into the public speaking light to bring more awareness, but in an educational yet entertaining way!

What is the #1 reason for your drive in this business? Spreading the knowledge base. So much is to be learned in order to be prepared for our wild weather deck of cards! I never heard of any other entity out there creating this space for folks, so I created it myself. Also, it was an additional outlet to pursue my passion for weather.

Why are you the person others should seek for this opportunity? If anyone has taken coursework in a field they love, it’s typically driven by professors who just do it for the job or by videos made in the late 70s with terrible graphics. When it comes to this type of education, I come from the heart of it. From thousands of miles trekking across the US between Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Wyoming, North Dakota, and everywhere in between. From the semesters of school at OU School of Meteorology. From the place of a scared 5th grader with a horrible stutter who never imagined she’d be in her 30s involved in public speaking. That. That is why. Because it’s educational AND entertaining.

What is your underlying motivation to keep bringing this opportunity to others? The children’s faces when I show videos of past chases. The earnest questions from HOA residents who are new to the area and truly want to know more. The repeat clients that have us out year after year bringing updated information to their attention.

What is your favorite outcome from speaking to others? The sense of accomplishment that just a few more lives are a little more aware of the weather we experience. The chance for little ones to ask their eager questions and go back home talking about the storm chaser they met. The overall opportunity to be live and in front of our followers and beyond.

Finally, please let us know how our readers can connect with you and learn more. Yes! We have a plethora of social media platforms, and can be found on most simply by searching “Texas Storm Chasers”. Otherwise if you prefer good old-fashioned direct email communication, then contact@texasstormchasers.com will put you in front of all six of our group members to address any inquiry.

The post Community Member Spotlight: Chelsea Burnett | Public Speaker, Photographer & Storm Chaser appeared first on Voyage Dallas Magazine | Dallas City Guide.

source http://voyagedallas.com/2020/09/03/community-member-spotlight-chelsea-burnett-public-speaker-photographer-storm-chaser/