Why You Should Bother to be Different?
There is a chance you have heard the phrase “be different” countless times, and to be honest, it can be tiring. Why would someone tell another person to be “different” without truly understanding that person or actually defining what that means? It just seems like strange advice!
There’s no reason to want to be different simply because your personality or characteristics —essentially your existence—appears to threaten other people. This is what makes you unique. After all, it’s easier to blend in or fit in than to stand out.
We totally get you and while you may doubt that we do, these celebrities of color who have overcome their own personal struggles will convince you that sometimes not wanting to be like others is cool and just being yourself is underrated.
Oprah Winfrey
You have surely heard this name before but maybe not for the reasons that are about to be shared. Oprah is proof that no matter what might be going wrong or have gone wrong, you can decide to be different and create your own destiny.
Born in Mississippi and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the former TV host rose from being “just another poor Black kid” to being the CEO of her own company—receiving numerous awards and titles. She has been ranked as the wealthiest Black American of the 20th Century and the greatest Black American philanthropist in U.S. history. Simply put, she is a self-made woman and incredibly successful and that’s why she is so well known.
What many people might not be aware of is that during her childhood, Oprah experienced what many of us can identify with—poverty, frustration, and lonesomeness. Growing up, it wasn’t all gold and ballrooms, so to speak, for her. In an interview with 60 Minutes, Oprah spoke about her childhood as being filled with traumatic and negative experiences. She described the abuse she experienced, how she had a premature baby as a teenager, whom she lost at infancy. This is the type of childhood that makes you want to fit in so people don’t see the scars and pain you go through rather than stand out.
However, after moving back in with her father during her high school years, life began to smile on her. Oprah pushed through and turned her painful experiences into power. What would become of her was a greatness none before her had seen.
Tyler Perry
A man once referred to in the entertainment industry as the highest-paid man in entertainment, Tyler Perry is someone you’d no doubt call a famous and successful man. Not everyone in the competitive entertainment world can boast about being successful, but this guy has the records to show it.
What if I told you that Tyler Perry had to legally change his first name in order to distance himself from his father at the age of 16 because of constant physical abuse? His father beat him so much that he tried committing suicide to escape from the trauma. After moving away, he confessed to being a victim of molestation. He had been molested by his mother’s friend and three other men at different times during his adolescence. Yet, Tyler decided that he wouldn’t allow his scars to deny him his dream. He went on to write his first play “I Know I’ve Been Changed” in 1992. From then on, he was a trailblazer in the entertainment industry, creating films for Black audiences as well as renowned characters like “Madea” Simmons.
Viola Davis
While her story sounds like a Hollywood movie script it is, in fact, very real. Viola was born on a farm in South Carolina. When her family moved to Rhode Island, their living conditions were so poor that they basically lived with rodents. Her family struggled financially to the degree that they sought for food everywhere, including searching in dumpsters. I know what you’re thinking… “Ewww,” right? In an interview, Viola said, “I was hungry most of the time and ashamed that I couldn’t get into the business of being me.”
Well, things began to change for her when she discovered her love for acting. She has since been casted in several movies and is the leading character of the award-winning series How to Get Away with Murder.
Tasha Smith
The How to Get Away With Murder actress and her twin sister, Viola Davis, were raised by a mother who suffered with drug addiction. At the age of 14, Tasha started using drugs and hanging out with the “wrong crew” primarily due to the rough neighborhood she grew up in. However, when she turned 18 she moved to Los Angeles to start anew. She has done tremendously well as a result. Tasha has become a renowned actress and started her own actors’ workshop. She now has a net worth of over a million dollars. Together with her mother, she now inspires young teenagers who are dealing with parents who suffer from addiction-related issues.
Conclusion
Choosing to be different despite what life has thrown at you is a trait that’s displayed by the celebrities listed above. Their stories aren’t too different from what some of you, dear readers, are going through. But they didn’t let what they went through define them. They dared to be different from their peers in the neighborhood they grew up in, and more importantly, they decided to change the narrative of their story without minding their dark past. The result? They’re now proof that being yourself is a blessing. It doesn’t matter how weird or messed up you might think that things are around you. You can make a difference and be different.
Praise Olarinde is a content writer, a mental health advocate, and the author of Alone and Weird: Why Am I So Different? He spends much of his time writing and volunteering. He is a volunteer for Black Phoenix Ink because he believes in their mission to bring positivity to children in black communities
