From the first second we open our eyes, that moment is captured by a picture.
Pictures are a very important part of our lives, especially the ones we share them on
social platforms, the ones that portray our perfect life with perfect moments and smiles.
What about the stories behind these pictures? Who would dare to share the real stories that
make the real you? Like the picture where I look like misphotogenic of the year is when I had to
wear full makeup in order to cover my sobby eyes after studying and working for 48 hours non-stop.
Or the picture that shows I'm having fun with my friends, where inside I was crying a river
after breaking up with my boyfriend. Or the picture of the extended family happily gathering
that only meet up for holidays or funerals. Or the very first picture that appeared in this video
of my mom holding me. The very first picture of my life, capturing the very first memory of when
my father left the hospital as soon as he found out that he had a baby girl instead of a baby boy.
Welcome to the backstage of my life. It is memories like this that made me who I am. The
confident, the feminist, the vulnerable, the motivated, creative, encouraging, self-aware girl.
My backstage. Where mistakes are made, lessons learned, experience gained, tears shredded,
challenges accepted. My backstage. The question I ask myself constantly, who am I? I am the girl
who won't be the same next week. I will be different. I will be better. Constantly changing,
constantly learning, constantly thriving. Triving to be the best. The best version of who I am and
who I am ought to be while enjoying every second of it. And who I will become tomorrow or next year
or even after I die. I want to keep a legacy that will be spoken of not by showing my picture,
but by telling the story of the backstage of my life. This is who I am.
