Project 25, Post No. 11: “I’m sorry to be crazy…”  

Scenario No. 1

ohmyGAWD should I text him? I mean i haven’t heard from him since Tuesday but I usually hear from him every day. He’s going to think I’m crazy if i start.

Scenario No. 2

ugh, I was so mad at him last night for completely blowing me off, so I told him. But I totally regret it, cuz like, he’s totally going to think I’m like a psycho or something now.

I’ve said something to the effect of either of these statements more than once in my life. It’s easy to. Just like the scene in Mean Girls where the Plastics immediately start a round of “let’s criticize our bodies,” it’s easy to buy into the myth that showcasing any sort of neuroticism, nervousness or sliver of non-ecstatic emotion when it comes to romantic relationships as a straight woman is somehow a sign of mental illness.

It’s not, and I’m tired of spreading that dangerous lie.

Being upset about something and yelling about it doesn’t automatically mean that someone should be sedated and shipped off to Arkham. A couple of emotional text messages does not a sociopath make.

So can we make a deal? Can we please stop calling each other crazy when we do “pathetic” things out of vulnerability? Like things that indicate that we’re human and not robots?

And not just women. Boys get sad too, and they do silly things. They’re not crazy either, unless they you know, actually do something mentally unsound, like put people in physical or emotional harm.

It would make being vulnerable just a little bit easier. And I know for some of us (OK, mostly me), that’s really, really difficult.

Here’s a good piece. On Labeling Women “Crazy.”

Thanks for listening, y'all - hope your week is the opposite of crazy. Please consider donating to clean water here: stayclassy.org/25reasons.