upworthy
Add Upworthy to your Google News feed.
Google News Button
Pop Culture

77 percent of Gen Xers want to go back to the pre-internet days. Here are 9 things we miss.

Gen X wants to go back more than anyone.

gen x nostalgia, millennial nostalgia, 1990s
via - NFT CAR GIRL -/Pexels

A box full of casette tapes.

A new Harris poll reported by Fast Company found that older Millennials and Gen Xers are the age group that would most like to return to a time before the internet and smartphones. Seventy-seven percent of Americans aged 35 to 54 wanted to return to the pre-internet era compared to 63% of those aged 18 to 34 and 60% of those over 55.

What’s interesting about the poll was that regardless of age, more people wanted to return to a simpler time when we weren’t connected 24/7. It’s like we ran headfirst into a technological revolution without considering whether we should. Now, we have some regrets.

That’s why it’s not shocking that multiple scientific studies had found that today’s mental health crisis just happens to coincide with the adoption of smartphone technology.

There have been a lot of gains that humanity has made since the dawn of the internet. But there have also been a lot of sacrifices. A lot of the things we’ve lost have been those that made us happy and carefree.

Here are 9 things that people miss about the pre-internet world.

Less exposure to negativity

The psychological concept of negativity bias shows us that the human mind is obsessed with focusing on adversity at the expense of the positive, creating an unbalanced worldview. The internet age exposes us to a barrage of constant negativity, whether that’s crazy comments on social media, a steady diet of negative stories from the news media or continuous coverage of a political climate that’s become more divisive and adversarial.

We didn't have to defend our sanity from being exposed to this level of anger and fear in the pre-internet era.

Living for the moment, not the like

It seems that many activities people engage in these days aren’t for the experience in and of itself but for the opportunity to take a photo and share it on social media. But there’s a big difference between enjoying the moment and filming it. When 20,000 phones go up because everyone wants to get a video of Taylor Swift singing “Anti-Hero,” are those people really enjoying the moment or missing it because they’re focused on documenting it to share on Facebook later that night?

No 24-hour news cycle

The 24-hour news cycle started in 1980 when CNN launched on cable TV networks nationwide. But that seems like the Stone Age compared to today when people obsess over the news and follow it as it happens on social media, especially Twitter. While staying informed is important, things have gone out of balance, leading people to be addicted to the news. Studies show that people who obsessively follow the news are more likely to suffer from stress, anxiety and physical ill health.

Further, in the world of social media, we don’t just follow the news; as we comment, like, and share stories, we help disseminate it, making it part of our social identities.

Wouldn’t it be cool if we could go back to turning on the national news at 6:30 pm every night, finding out what’s happening in the world in 30 minutes and then turning it off until the next day?

Physical music

It seems that people’s attitudes toward music have really changed in the streaming era. In the pre-streaming era, it cost $12.99 for a new CD or a vinyl LP, but you cherished it more. You were invested in the music.

“With streaming, things were starting to become quite throwaway and disposable,” Finlay Shakespeare, a musician and audio engineer, told The Guardian. “If I didn’t gel with an album or an artist’s work at first, I tended not to go back to it.” But music as an art form is designed to grow on people after multiple listens. How many CDs have you bought that you didn’t like at first, and then after three or four listens, it really grew on you?

Privacy

Ever have one of those nights where you went out with your friend or significant other and asked them not to "post that we’re here”? You may have fibbed with other people about your plans and didn’t want to get caught by posting about it online. That’s the world we live in today. It’s easy for anyone to know almost anything about you and how to get in touch. It’s not just because we post things on social media; there are countless databases online where people can learn almost anything about you.

It’s a far cry from living in the ‘80s when the only way to know about someone was if they appeared in the newspaper or the phonebook. Now, if someone wants to find you, they can, and it’s a little scary.

Photographs

These days people take hundreds, maybe thousands of photos every year, many of which they never look at. Before smartphones, every photo you took was precious, and it could take up to two weeks to get developed by the Fotomat. Today's technology makes taking pictures and sharing them with friends much easier. But how many do we actually print out and frame in our homes? Even though we have all of these photos, they are all trapped in a digital vault, and maybe, just one day, we’ll frame a few.

Focus

When was the last time you felt you could spend two hours working on something uninterrupted without being distracted by a text, ping, Slack message, Facebook update, SPAM call, pop-up on your computer monitor, or a compelling desire to stop what you’re doing and scroll through Twitter? If someone from 1995 were frozen in time and woke up with today’s level of distraction and digital harassment, they’d probably run to go live in the forest. But, like frogs in water that are slowly coming to a boil, the change has been so gradual that we didn’t realize that we were creating a world where focus now comes at a premium.

Less comparison

Social media has taken social comparisons to a whole new level. As humans, we naturally compare ourselves to our peers, whether looking up at those doing better or down at those who don’t seem to be faring so well. But in the age of social media, we see a constant stream of people getting to do the things we wish we were doing and buying the things we wish we had. They’re on vacation while we’re at work. They have a new house, and we’re in an apartment. Their kids are excelling at sports and ours will barely leave the house.

The problem is that social media presents a funhouse mirror view of other people’s lives because they only tend to share complimentary things. You don’t hear about people’s financial problems, marriage difficulties, or see if their kids get bad grades. You only see the good stuff.

In-person shopping

The poll that kicked off this article stated that 77% of those between the ages of 35 and 54 would like to return to an era before smartphones and the internet. That was a time when if you wanted a new shirt, you had to go to the mall to buy one. Obviously, with Amazon, things are so much easier now. But the world where we got our friends together and roamed the mall looking for a shirt and, along the way, bumped into our crushes and wolfed down a Cinnabon provided so many social opportunities that we’re missing out on these days. Convenience is great, but it’s no substitute for living.

From Your Site Articles
gen x
Pop CultureInternet
Culture

Passenger on 274-day cruise is surprised to learn the one word you can't say on the ship

"It's like saying 'Macbeth' in a theater."

via Mattew Barra/Pexels
There's one word you can't say on a cruise ship.

There are some things you just don't say. You don't yell out "bomb!" on an airplane, make jokes about carrying weapons while going through security, or, as Michael Scott from The Office knows, loudly proclaim that a boat you're currently on is sinking.

Those are all pretty obvious examples, but sometimes etiquette and decorum are a little more subtle. If you're not experienced in the ways of the venue you're in, you might not know all the unspoken rules. And you might find out the hard way. Cruise ships, for example, have their own very specific set of rules and regulations that guests should abide by.

On December 10, 2023, Royal Caribbean’s Serenade of the Seas set sail on the Ultimate World Cruise—a 274-day global trek that visits 11 world wonders and over 60 countries.


cruise, 9-month cruise, Marc Sebastian, cruise life, vacation, titanic, unspoken rules, etiquette, cruise etiquette, royal caribbean 9 months is a very long time to be aboard a boat, even a giant cruise ship. Photo by Peter Hansen on Unsplash

This incredible trip covered the Americas, Asia Pacific, Middle East, Mediterranean and Europe with a ticket price that ranges from $53,999 to $117,599 per passenger.

With such a unique and incredible offering, it's understandable that Royal Caribbean wanted to invite plenty of influencers to help them get the word out.

Aboard the Serenade to the Seas was popular TikToker Marc Sebastian, who documented his experience throughout the journey. In one video with over 4.3 million views, he revealed what he’s learned over his first few weeks aboard the ship; the biggest was the one word you’re not allowed to say.

"So here's [what] I've learned about cruising since I've spent 18 nights on this floating retirement home with a Cheesecake Factory attached. First, number one, you're not supposed to talk about the Titanic," he says in the clip.

Titanic! It's the ultimate taboo when you're on a giant ship traversing the ocean. Even after all these years, it's still too soon to make even lighthearted comparisons or jokes.

@marcsebastianf

someone get whoopi on the line girl i have some goss for her #ultimateworldcruise #worldcruise #serenadeoftheseas #cruisetok #cruise #9monthcruise #titanic

“Who knew that? I didn’t,” Sebastian said. “I brought it up to an entire room of people having lunch that our ship is only 100 feet longer than the Titanic — when I tell you that utensils dropped. Waiters gasped. It’s dead silent.”

Sebastian was flabbergasted. "It wasn't in the... handbook," he joked. "Not that I read the handbook, clearly."

After the unexpected reaction, his cruise friend told him, “You’re not allowed to talk about the Titanic.” It makes sense.

Who wants to be reminded of the tragedy that killed around 1,500 people while sinking one of the most impressive engineering feats of the era? More experienced cruisers chimed in that they were familiar with the unique piece of etiquette.

cruise, 9-month cruise, Marc Sebastian, cruise life, vacation, titanic, unspoken rules, etiquette, cruise etiquette, royal caribbean Pro tip: Don't ask the band on board to play "My Heart Will Go On" by Celine Dion Giphy

"When I went on a cruise, my mom told me saying Titanic was equivalent to screaming ‘bomb’ at an airport," Mikayla wrote in the comments.

"It’s like saying Macbeth in a theatre, it’s an unspoken rule" another commenter added.

"I’m sorry you’re telling me you had a Harry Potter like experience saying Voldemort at Hogwarts but it was the titanic on a modern day cruise I’m cryingggg" joked another.

Later in the video covering little known cruise facts, Sebastian admits he was surprised to learn that cruise ships have godmothers and that the pools are filled with seawater.

In an update from June of 2024, Sebastian explains that he only stayed on the cruise for 18 nights. He was not booked to stay throughout the entire voyage, and for him, that was a relief.

He initially jokes that he was kicked off the boat for saving a penguin that had jumped aboard. But in the end, he admits he was more than happy to deboard early.

"I walked off that ship not a happy man," he said, saying the ship was overstimulating and stressful. In another video, he films as the ship navigates the Drake Passage, one of the most notoriously dangerous and choppy stretches of water in the world. It looks stressful indeed, to say the least.

Cruising isn't for everyone, let alone for 274 days straight! But now Sebastian knows the golden rule for his next cruise.

This story originally appeared last year. It has been updated.

From Your Site Articles
cruise
CultureJoy
Mental Health

Therapist explains how the viral 'dopamine anchoring' can be the best hack for conquering chores

You might already be doing it without knowing it.

Photo credit: Canva, @kyndalvcc/TikTok

A viral hack that actually works? We'll take it!

Actually completing mundane tasks isn’t just a challenge for neurodivergent folks. Nearly everyone has at least one boring, but necessary, chore that we simply cannot be bothered to get done. That one email to send, that one appointment to schedule, that one errand to run, that no matter what, we can’t seem to bring ourselves to do.

That’s where “dopamine anchoring” comes in. This viral productivity hack taking over TikTok might be geared towards those with ADHD, but it can certainly be co-opted for anyone hoping to make their to-do list a little more enjoyable (and therefore more doable).

The best part is—you might already be dopamine anchoring without even realizing it.

@thatll_do_podcast How do you dopamine anchor?? 🫶 looking for ideas 💡 #lifehack #dopamine #psychology ♬ Tchaikovsky "Dance of the Reed Flutes"(1257471) - kzy

The concept is simple: pair a not-so-enjoyable task with a simple, enjoyable treat or activity. Think grabbing a fancy iced latté after getting an oil change, or listening to your favorite podcast while folding laundry. This little “treat yourself” moment elicits a dopamine rush, causing you to feel pleasure while doing that undesirable task, which, over time, helps you form a positive connection with it because of the feel-good chemicals being released. Pavlovian productivity, if you will.

As Chicago-based therapist Kyndal explains, this strategy is vital for people with ADHD, since, due to their naturally lower levels of dopamine, their brains often refuse to do tasks that aren’t “incredibly interesting, immediately rewarding, or super urgent…It has to be that severe.”

@kyndalvcc #neurospicy #adhd #dopamineanchoring #mentalhealth ♬ original sound - Kyndal - Therapist

Sure, there’s something to be said about not relying purely on extrinsic rewards, but, as Kyndal notes, sometimes we also need to “work with our brains rather than against them.” And, hey, if it leads to overall healthier behaviors—which science has shown to be the case—it might be worth at least experimenting with.

In her clip, Kyndal offered a few examples of what dopamine anchoring can look like in various situations:

Environmental Anchoring

-Doing a boring task at a coffee shop (long live third spaces!)

-Playing a podcast while doing chores

-Lighting a scented candle while working on a project

Social Anchoring

-FaceTime a friend during a dull work block

-Pair doing a household chore with phoning someone

-Plan a coffee meetup after doing something hard

Sensory Anchoring

-Wear your favorite clothes to do tough work (or, if you’re like me, your fanciest clothes, whatever floats your boat)

-Save a special drink for challenging tasks

-Use a motivating playlist

If you’re looking to come up with your own list of dopamine anchors, other therapists, like Brianna Paruolo, and Najama Davis, MSW, LCSW, LCADC, have some tips as well.

“Keep the reward small, realistic, and reserved for that task—otherwise it can lose its power,” Davis told Bustle. “It’s not about tricking yourself—it’s about making life’s less fun moments a little more enjoyable.”

Davis also encouraged folks to remember your dopamine anchor doesn’t always have to come AFTER the task. You can start sipping on that strawberry match just before starting that email, so long as it doesn't completely distract you.

Furthermore, in an interview with VeryWellMind, therapist Brianna Paruolo suggested that the anchor matches the difficulty level of the task. Taxes, for example, might need a bit more hefty of an anchor, like going out to dinner, as opposed to folding laundry.

ADHD, dopamine, dopamine hacking, dopamine anchor, viral tiktok, therapists of tiktok, productivity Anything that ends with sushi can't be that bad. Photo credit: Canva

Paruolo also warned not to expect "instant results.” But as you're “rewiring neural pathways,” be patient with the process.

Bottom line: next time you're having difficulty getting something done, give yourself a little treat and a little grace.

From Your Site Articles
productivity
Mental HealthHealth
Science

The longest — and probably largest — proof of our current climate catastrophe ever caught on camera.

It was the largest such event ever filmed.

Exposure Labs

All GIFs and images via Exposure Labs.

Photographer James Balog and his crew were hanging out near a glacier when their camera captured something extraordinary. They were in Greenland, gathering footage from the time-lapse they'd positioned all around the Arctic Circle for the last several years.

They were also there to shoot scenes for a documentary. And while they were hoping to capture some cool moments on camera, no one expected a huge chunk of a glacier to snap clean off and slide into the ocean right in front of their eyes.


science, calving, glaciers

A glacier falls into the sea.

assets.rebelmouse.io

ocean swells, sea level, erosion, going green

Massive swells created by large chunks of glacier falling away.

assets.rebelmouse.io

It was the largest such event ever filmed.

For nearly an hour and 15 minutes, Balog and his crew stood by and watched as a piece of ice the size of lower Manhattan — but with ice-equivalent buildings that were two to three times taller than that — simply melted away.

geological catastrophe, earth, glacier melt

A representation demonstrating the massive size of ice that broke off into the sea.

assets.rebelmouse.io

As far as anyone knows, this was an unprecedented geological catastrophe and they caught the entire thing on tape. It won't be the last time something like this happens either.

But once upon a time, Balog was openly skeptical about that "global warming" thing.

Balog had a reputation since the early 1980s as a conservationist and environmental photographer. And for nearly 20 years, he'd scoffed at the climate change heralds shouting, "The sky is falling! The sky is falling!"

"I didn't think that humans were capable of changing the basic physics and chemistry of this entire, huge planet. It didn't seem probable, it didn't seem possible," he explained in the 2012 documentary film "Chasing Ice."

There was too much margin of error in the computer simulations, too many other pressing problems to address about our beautiful planet. As far as he was concerned, these melodramatic doomsayers were distracting from the real issues.

That was then.

Greenland, Antarctica, glacier calving

The glacier ice continues to erode away.

assets.rebelmouse.io

In fact, it wasn't until 2005 that Balog became a believer.

He was sent on a photo expedition of the Arctic by National Geographic, and that first northern trip was more than enough to see the damage for himself.

"It was about actual tangible physical evidence that was preserved in the ice cores of Greenland and Antarctica," he said in a 2012 interview with ThinkProgress. "That was really the smoking gun showing how far outside normal, natural variation the world has become. And that's when I started to really get the message that this was something consequential and serious and needed to be dealt with."

Some of that evidence may have been the fact that more Arctic landmass has melted away in the last 20 years than the previous 10,000 years.

Watch the video of the event of the glacier calving below:

This article originally appeared 10 years ago.

From Your Site Articles
ScienceClimate Change
Democracy

Former QAnon believer gets real and answers questions about how the cult really works

After one simple Google search, they were out.

Photo by Ehimetalor Akhere Unuabona on Unsplash

QAnon supporters at a rally.

Several years ago, you wouldn't have known what QAnon was unless you spent a lot of time reading through comments on Twitter or frequented internet chat rooms. Now, with prominent Q adherents making headlines for storming the U.S. Capitol and elements of the QAnon worldview spilling into mainstream politics, the conspiracy theory/doomsday cult has become a household topic of conversation.

Many of us have watched helplessly as friends and family members fall down the rabbit hole, spewing strange ideas about Democrats and celebrities being pedophiles who torture children while Donald Trump leads a behind-the-scenes roundup of these evil Deep State actors. Perfectly intelligent people can be susceptible to conspiracy theories, no matter how insane, which makes it all the more frustrating.

A person who was a true believer in QAnon mythology (which you can read more about here) recently participated in an "Ask Me Anything" thread on Reddit, and what they shared about their experiences was eye-opening. The writer's Reddit handle is "diceblue," but for simplicity's sake we'll call them "DB."

qanon, qanon rally, conspiracy theorists, qanon couple, qanon rally, q, A couple at a QAnon rally.via Ken Fager/Flickr

DB explained that they weren't new to conspiracy theories when QAnon came on the scene. "I had been DEEP into conspiracy for about 8 years," they wrote. "Had very recently been down the ufo paranormal rabbit hole so when Q really took off midterm for trump I 'did my research' and fell right into it."

DB says they were a true believer until a couple of years ago, when they had an experience that snapped them out of it:

"It was a couple of posts made by Q on the chans that seemed highly suspicious because of how ignorant they were of technology. Q posts often had weird syntax as a kind of code

    • Kind Of [writing like this] as if there was [a secret] in using brackets To Tell The Truth.

One morning Q claimed to have shut down 7 FBI super computers (named after the seven dwarves no less) via satellite hacking and all the rabid fans ate it up, claiming that their internet was running a little bit faster)

Alarm bells went off in my head because, come on, that's not how any of this works. Using elementary school syntax form To SpeLl a [[Secret Code ]] felt fishy, and claiming your email in rural Montana loaded faster because seven super computers got shut down by remote hacking was a bridge too far for me. I realized that most of the Q believers I had seen were Boomers with no idea how technology works or people my age with no idea how computers operate. That day, I Googled Q Anon Debunked and got out."


If simply Googling "QAnon Debunked" were enough to get QAnoners to deprogram themselves, why don't more of them do it? That's the tricky part. DB explains several elements to Q belief that keeps people in it. A big part of what primed DB to accept conspiracy thinking was a fundamentalist Christian upbringing.

"Theories about evil evolution, science denial and The End of The world rapture return of Christ stuff is all pretty crazy too," wrote DB, who moved to a more progressive version of Christianity after leaving QAnon behind. There's a strong link between the two.

There's also some "perverse comfort "in conspiracy theories like QAnon, DB wrote, "because of the false sense of order and purpose it brings to the world. Either the world is a boardgame chess match between Good and Evil forces working behind the scenes, and you might be a pawn but at least you are on The Right Side or you admit that the world is a mess, nobody is in charge, there is no grand battle of good and evil behind the scenes and your life has less purpose and order than you hoped."

They also said overconfidence and arrogance play a big role in people staying in the QAnon world, as well as the belief that you are the one engaging in critical thinking while everyone else is a mindless sheep.

"At this point, the problem isn't Q, it's gullible people who lack critical thinking skills and gain a massive ego boost in thinking they have a secret that the sheeple don't know," DB wrote.

"Worth noting, conspiracy thinking hooks the brain because it feels like critical thinking. Even though it isn't."

That piece right there really is key.

qanon, qanon rally, trump rally, conspiracy theories, maga, maga qanon, A QAnaon rally.via Geoff Livingston/Flickr

As another user explained, the "do your own research" concept works to reinforce conspiracy theories while making people think they're coming to conclusions on their own, thanks to the way search engines and social media algorithms work:

"The idea behind the 'research' is that you are more likely to believe a source if YOU stumble upon it yourself vs if I tell you -go watch this video. So if I tell you Hillary is a lizard person, watch this video ... It's easy to watch and dismiss me as a crazy that saw a dumb video. BUT ... if I tell you Hillary is a lizard person, but don't take my word for it - google it yourself.... and you come across hundreds of videos and articles about Hillary being a lizard person - that makes it all the more believable. Especially since there's so many articles saying Hillary is NOT a lizard person. If it wasn't true, why would people be making videos and articles 'debunking' it?

And the debunk articles are appearing higher in searches than the articles saying she is. Why is that? Is big tech in on it to ....and you see where this is going.

So their 'research' is just a way of manipulating people."

qanon, qanon rally, trump rally, conspiracy theories, maga, maga qanon, A QAnon supporter.via Marc Nozell/Flickr

DB shared that it was hard to admit that they'd been played by a baseless conspiracy theory. "It's NOT easy realizing you've been conned, been a rube, been taken in," they wrote. "It was massively humbling to realize I'd been a sucker."

However, they are also surprised to see how much "crazier" QAnon has gotten, as when they left a couple of years ago they were "certain it would all be over soon." They weren't a "storm the Capitol" kind of believer, but rather a "snicker quietly to myself in my bedroom because those sheeple don't know the truth" type.

DB explained that they keep themselves away from the edge of the rabbit hole now by embracing doubt and different ideas and have added "some fucking worldview humility" to their life.

"The problem with fundamentalist religions, cults, and conspiracy theories is they all demonize doubt and are all so absolutely certain that they have the total truth of reality figured out. I hold my beliefs much more humbly now, I acknowledge that I could be wrong," they wrote.

"I read more widely and expose myself to the ideas of others, so that I don't end up in an echo chamber."

As for how to help others get out? DB said that arguing with a QAnon adherent, especially online, is a waste of time—and their simple explanation for why makes perfect sense:

"I don't think they can be reasoned out of beliefs they were not reasoned into."

There's no way to rationalize with irrational beliefs, unfortunately. DB suggests if you have loved ones who've fallen down the rabbit hole that you maybe try asking them questions using Street Epistemology techniques (which you can read about here), avoid confronting and trying to reason with them (because it's simply not effective), and continue loving them (while setting boundaries about what you're willing to listen to) so they have a stable place to land if and when they are able to extricate themselves.

You can read the entire Reddit thread of Q and A here.

As frustrating as it is to see people we know fall for kooky conspiracy theories, seeing that it's possible for someone to get out offers a ray of hope that they aren't necessarily gone for good.

Things have changed since this article was originally published in 2021, with some QAnon beliefs evolving as America's political narrative has changed. However, surveys by groups like the Associated Press and the 2024 Public Religion Research Institute have found that 15–20% of Americans believe in some of QAnon’s core claims, including the existence of a secret group of Satan-worshipping elites controlling the United States government.

This article originally appeared four years ago and has been updated.

From Your Site Articles
qanon
DemocracyPolitics
Culture

High school salutatorian's Goth yearbook photo is going viral for the best reasons

Smart look.

via Jules Lipoff / Twitter

Quite a contrast between the valedictorian and salutatorian.

Back in April 2021, then-17-year-old Weronika Jachimowicz got a lot of attention for subverting people's expectations of who excels in high school—and that's exactly what she wanted. Jachimowicz was named New York's Mattituck-Cutchogue Union Free School District's 2021 salutatorian. Her yearbook photo next to valedictorian Luke Altman is going viral because of her dramatic Goth makeup and attire.

It all started when assistant professor and writer Dr. Jules Lipoff's tweet of the photo of the valedictorian and salutatorian he saw in a newspaper went viral. How many salutatorians have you seen wearing pentagram hoop earrings, a choker, and black devil horns? The juxtaposition of her next to the bowtie-wearing Altman makes the photo even more amusing.

Jachimowicz wanted the world to know that just because a high school kid looks like an outsider, it doesn't mean they aren't interested in academics or sports.

In fact, it's completely normal for kids who are interested in the Goth subculture, as well as any other clique or community, to be good students.

"The scene has quiet middle-class values—education, highbrow culture, theatre, museums, romantic literature, poetry, philosophy, Gothic architecture," Dr. Dunja Bril, who studies Goth culture in England, told The Independent in 2006.

goth, gothic, middle class, education, intelligence Goth vibe.Canva Photos

"Many Goths like classical music. It's a status symbol to have a good collection of classical pieces—mostly requiems and darker pieces," she added.

"Going to do a university degree is encouraged," Bril continued. "It doesn't encourage people to drop out of school. Whereas in the Punk scene you turn down the normal educational values, in Goth you gain status if you're perceived as being educated. You get people who are in it for the shock value, but they are usually the ones who grow out of it."

Since her photo went viral, Jachimowicz has received countless messages of thanks from young people who say she's inspired them to express themselves.

"In all honesty, that's all I wanted. I wanted to help anyone I could who is struggling with expressing themselves because I've been in the exact same position," Jachimowicz told Yahoo! Life. "When people message me telling me how I have given them the confidence to be who they truly are, I almost cry from happiness."

Jachimowicz says that she was able to be herself because she was encouraged by others, so this is her chance to pay it forward.

goth, addams family, wednesday, gif, fun, unique Addams Family Dancing GIF Giphy

"I was always trying to please others and be like what everyone else wanted me to be, or at least try to fit into what was 'normal.' However, I did slowly start to realize that it's OK to be different," she said. "I've met people in my life who gave me the confidence to fully be myself," she added.

In addition to having an unweighted GPA of 97.27%, Jachimowicz was on the fencing, ping pong, and winter track teams. She was also a member of the National Honor Society, Students Against Drunk Driving, and the Unity Club.

Jachimowicz's accomplishments are another reason to never judge someone for how they look or their interests. Just because someone is wearing satanic earrings doesn't mean they aren't highly intelligent or athletic.

She believes the most important thing is to be yourself, regardless of what anyone else thinks. "Even if others don't really like my style, it's what makes me happy and I've worked hard to finally come to that conclusion," she said.

This article originally appeared four years ago.

From Your Site Articles
education
CultureJoy
Trending Stories