For many years, talent scouts had a basic idea of what they wanted in a star–attractiveness, charisma, youth, and the proverbial it factor. Celebrities had pretty much the same physique, style of dress, and embodied similar themes. At the same time, however, they were pressured to develop their own individuality and stand out in the crowd. Confusing, right?
But in the past decade or so, reality shows have upended that strategy, setting up scenarios that call for people to make blind judgements. Singers perform with judges’ backs to them or with costumes to hide their true identity, and singles even decide who to marry without ever seeing their companion. Not being a viewer of the latter series, I can’t speak for how that turns out, but as far as the singers go, this trend has generated a better variety of artists. More people muster the courage to try to pursue their dreams because they no longer question if they measure up to a certain criteria.
Along with the many advantages, I see one drawback. On a recent episode of The Voice, a fourteen-year-old girl auditioned. She had a great voice to my untrained ears and manifested a lot of maturity for her age. Not knowing how young she was, however, the coaches passed on her, detecting her inexperience. When they turned around in their chairs, they realized the reason for her lack of finesse along with how advanced she actually was for her age.
Having watched just about every episode of the series, I’ve seen this happen a number of times, but this occasion struck me differently. I had a newfound appreciation for the fact that, while it can be freeing to have someone assess you with no knowledge of who you are, there are also benefits to them having a better grasp of your background. For instance, a trait you have may not be a big deal or even be undesirable in regular circumstances. Once somebody understands what you’re dealing with or have overcome, however, they can form a completely different opinion.
As I shared in my last post, I was featured on New Day Cleveland earlier this month, which far surpassed my expectations! I grappled with various insecurities about how viewers would interpret me, considering my disability. The feedback I received, though, showed me how the glimpse into my history and circumstances made others connect with me on a different level, even in my local community. One comment I came across related that she never knew I had such a personality, and she manifested more interest in my work because of that. Her words taught me the power of revealing yourself to people, rather than just hiding behind your name and talents.
Nonetheless, it can be scary to do that. I think we all contend with the nagging worries that we’re setting ourselves up for personal rejection if we step into such a spotlight. Even if we’re not seeking efforts that entail public relations, we might clam up and try to conceal various aspects of our lives, for fear people may misinterpret or condemn us.
While there’s nothing wrong with keeping certain things to ourselves, we’re really robbing ourselves if we shut out everyone and lead an isolated life. Others can help us grow in numerous ways. They can even help us accept the parts of ourselves that we may be inadequate about because they have an outsiders’ perspective. They can convince us that what we thought was a weakness is actually a strength that sets us apart.
No matter what we do, we’ll all encounter occasions where people are forming an opinion with their backs metaphorically turned. Sometimes, we may not be able to change those despite our best efforts. Even so, we should strive not to allow them to make us distance ourselves from the outside world. On the contrary, we should keep an open mind and shine our own unique light, illuminating the bridge between us and the ones who care enough to cross it.
If you missed my appearance on New Day Cleveland,
watch it now!
KarinaBartow.com 
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