FEMOSPHERE

At the end of the year content focused on “re-branding” amps up. Social media is flooded with content creators selling you formulas to totally re-brand your entire life. The marketing around “re-branding” is centered on the idea that you can alter peoples perceptions of you as easily as you can adopt a new aesthetic.

But you are not a brand. You are a human being. A person who is fluid, creative, and constantly growing or changing. A brand is inhuman. It is strategic, designed by analysts and marketing groups to sell a product. You may have something you’re selling, we all do. But you are not a product and you shouldn’t be selling yourself.

You don’t need to cram your entire life, beliefs, ideals, and values into an aesthetically pleasing “brand.” You can be multi-faceted and you should live authentically to your interests and values. You don’t need to throw away beliefs or interests that don’t fit whatever the popular “brand” or “aesthetic” is at the time.

I could be reading too deep into the entire “re-branding” concept. But as someone who used to consume this content, the words we use to describe ideas matter. Words, such as “re-branding,” come with connotations that affect how we view the world and how we view ourselves. You’re a human, not a logo. Embrace the parts of humanity that are unaesthetic or even messy.