influenced to be myself

By Gina P

For many students the quarantine period was traumatizing; for others it was the perfect time for self growth. For 15 year old Yerba Buena junior, J Nguyen had one of the most life changing experiences one could have.

Over the past sixteen months, Nguyen has been figuring out their identity and their journey to self love through social media influences and musical artists. When going through a huge change it's good to have moral support. Whether that be from people you know or things that you enjoy.

For Nguyen the moral support they had came mostly from social media like Instagram and Youtube; they mostly watched influencers that were part of the LGBTQ+ community that inspired them to come out and made them feel comfortable in their own skin.

Once they had the courage to feel comfortable with their new identity they decided that it would be a good idea to tell friends about who they really were. They described it as feeling discomfort of being seen like who they once were, overcame the fear of being rejected and they decided to go ahead and let their friends know.

“ I guess the most obvious thing would be the rejection because these were people that I was friends with; because I liked who they were and they provided me comfort for a lot of things, and they've been with me for big life moments and they were like ‘I don't like you anymore’ and I was like why I'm the same person?”

Although Nguyen didn't feel accepted by some of their friends, they still had people around them that made them feel accepted. They had made some friends prior to their coming out and they exclusively respect their pronouns and new identity.

They also found comfort and safety within the internet and felt like they were finally being heard. Such websites and apps like Youtube, Instagram and TikTok were some examples that came up.

“So I watch a lot of trans men because I always felt more masculine so there’s this channel called ‘Jammidodger or Sam Collins’; i like their content and it makes me feel like ‘oh they’re teaching me about what it’s like, their experience about being trans and like oh ok this is the kind of things that people like me go through.”

The internet always has its ups and downs but for Nguyen it really seemed like it was their safe space. Apps like TikTok are filled with tons of great and helpful information about almost everything imaginable. Accounts like GenZ For Change on TikTok are a great example of people using their platform to help others and keep people informed (especially the younger generation). Especially when it comes to issues within the LGBTQ+ community TikTok is a great place to express yourself in any way possible.

But not only did social media make J feel safe and heard. Music was also one of their biggest tools to self acceptance.

“ One of my favorite artists is Cavetown. I found out that Cavetown is trans! He's a trans guy And I was like that's crazy. Because a lot of his music made me come to the conclusion that I was not a girl. His music was always so comforting and I didn't know why for a long time, and I was like ``oh that’s why.”

Music has been known to be a great outlet for people going through a rough time. And for J it was a way to escape all of the chaos happening in the world.

When going through something as life changing as finding your true self it is important to surround yourself with people and outlets that will benefit you positively in the long run. Whether that be the internet, music or loving friends, positive influence is what will keep your spirits high.