This poem made me think about the fronts and emphasis on appearances we put on. For a lot of people, I’ve realized, appearances are the most important thing because that’s what a lot of people see as a priority. Appearances are how you’re defined by strangers you just met.

I always prioritized being a person not concerned about appearances, but it never occurred to me that being appearance-centered is a privilege and luxury. A lot of my students are extremely appearance focused for a lot of reasons that have to deal with being underprivileged, in a lot of ways that are hard to describe.