Somewhere between “be yourself” and “build your brand,”we were taught to monetize our identity.Suddenly, your quirks became content.Your sadness became aesthetic.Your every opinion had to be “on brand.” You’re not just a person anymore.You’re a potential niche.And if you’re not optimizing yourself for visibility,it feels like you’re wasting your potential. So we ask:Am I falling behind—or just refusing to be a product? “I Don’t Want to Be a Product, But I Don’t Know Who I Am Without Performing” What happens when self-expression starts to feel like survival?When everything you post is a calculation—every word, every outfit, every emotion crafted for perception? You weren’t always this way.There was a time when…