Jimikki Kammal and the Girl Who Hid
I had a long debate with myself about sharing this story. For a long time, it felt too personal, too contradictory to the person I am now. But I've decided to write about it in case it helps someone else on their own journey. Anyone who knows me knows I’m a passionate feminist. I believe fiercely in equality and the right for everyone to express who they are. What many people don’t know is that for years, I fought an internal battle against my own femininity, a silent war that made me feel like an imposter. It all started when I was a kid. My family moved, and I found myself in a new city, a new school, and a new home with my male cousins. Whenever I did anything "girly", like playing a dress-up game online instead of a shooting game, they mocked me. This teasing followed me to school, and my little-kid brain, desperate to fit in, absorbed the message that being "girly" was wrong. So, I began to suppress my femininity. Eventually, I wasn’t just hiding it, I was...