Mask On, F It Mask Off: What Jalonni Weaver Taught Me

AKA First Draft #2

1. Fitting in is expensive. Authenticity is priceless.
When you trade your quirks, your edges, your real wiring just to slide into the mold, the invoice comes due in mental health, identity loss, and burnout. Nah, that’s not success, that’s survival mode disguised as ambition. I’ve experienced all of that, and it isn’t worth it.

2. Masks look professional, but they suffocate.
The polished smile, the nod at the right time, the “acceptable” version of you might keep you in the room, but it keeps the REAL you on the outside looking in. The longer you wear it, the harder it is to breathe.

3. Belonging isn’t earned by shrinking. It’s created by being seen.
You don’t build true belonging by fitting someone else’s narrative. It starts when difference is valued, not just tolerated. That’s the difference between inclusion as a buzzword and inclusion as something real. Hint: It’s a buzzword 99.99% of the time.

4. The cost of masking isn’t invisible, it’s too damn high.
Companies, schools, and systems act like there’s no price tag attached to “fitting in,” but they’re wrong. Here’s the cost: anxiety, depression, exhaustion. If they don’t see it, it’s because they’ve decided not to look.

5. The revolution is authenticity. Mask off, self on.
Fitting in keeps the machine humming. Authenticity breaks the cycle and forces the system to evolve. The brave act isn’t survival, it’s showing up unfiltered, well,”semi-filtered,” daring the world to adjust to you instead of the other way around.

Bottom line: If the price of entry is killing who you are, leave the building. The mask doesn’t protect you. Stop paying for a seat at a table that doesn’t deserve you.

Author Bio:

Justin Anderson is a Multipassionate Strategist and founder of Anderson Blackstar Enterprises, the force behind Madly Multipassionate and Anderson Blackstar Media. He builds brands, stories, and systems that blend truth, power, and strategy.