Conforming

Conforming /kənˈfôrm iNG/
Definition: To behave according to socially acceptable conventions or standards.

This piece speaks to the quiet, relentless pressure to shrink, to bend, to mold oneself into shapes that feel unnatural—just to be seen as “acceptable.” Over the years, I’ve worn these masks, softened my edges, and twisted myself into versions of me that felt safer, less threatening, more “friendly.” All for the illusion of belonging.

But what is the cost of such approval? Conforming demands a sacrifice—the surrender of authenticity, the erasure of self. In this work, I confront that absurdity: the desperate contortions, the upside-down compromises, the silent humiliation of realizing how small we make ourselves to fit into spaces never designed for our fullness.