Sarah Fader

If you haven’t been unfriended or blocked on Facebook, then you’re not doing social media right.

My life has been a long bumpy anxious ride. People often don’t understand my “quirky” behaviors due to anxiety. I’ve learned, over the years that it's not important what other people think. What matters is that I recognize when anxiety is coming out to play, and I punch that bitch in the face.

My brief experience with online dating taught me that I hate it with a fiery passion. As a woman, I felt objectified and like a lot of the men on there wanted to see pictures of me so that they could judge if I was hot enough to go out for coffee with. I was already resentful and angry. And I know that I’m not alone. My female friends who have been involved in online dating have commiserated with me on this.

From the day that I had my first panic attack at age 15, my life was never the same. I looked up at my mother, wanting her to save me.

It got me thinking, why are there boys and girls sections in department stores like Target? What about the girl who doesn't want to wear a pink sparkly dress? She wants to wear a blue shirt with the truck on it. What about the boy who wants to wear a pink shirt with purple stripes? Is he not allowed to do that because it's in the "girls" section?

You might think you’re not working hard enough and that’s why you can’t find anything to talk about. That isn’t necessarily what is happening here.