Hello: I am a wallflower. Quiet. Reserved. A shy violet. Introverted. In American society, being introverted is comparable to pulling out last year’s dress pants to wear to an important event, which happens to be today, and realizing they are a size too small. It just doesn’t fit. We are square pegs trying to fit into round holes.
So, what’s the point? Why should you care?
While it is difficult finding reliable statistics, it appears that approximately 25-35% of the U.S. population is introverted. There are nearly 14,000 students attending UW this year, according to the university’s admission’s webpage. That would mean that approximately 3500-4900 students at the university consider themselves to be introverted. That is a lot of people!
So, why is it that introvert representation is lacking in media? When thinking of television and movies I have a difficult time thinking of introverted characters. When they are present, however, they are generally geeky and sometimes don’t bathe. Think ‘Never Been Kissed,’ when Josie Geller was in high school, pre-under-cover-reporter.
This really is not a clear representation of the introverted world. We are come in all types, just like extroverts.
Personally, I have been treated as a second-class citizen as an introvert and I imagine other introverts on campus have had similar experiences. I have had teachers tell me I would never amount to anything unless I became more outgoing. I had a manager criticize me for my reserved personality. I even had friends not realize I was still around.
I found my personal solace through the journalism department; it turns out there is a collection of introverts here! For the first time, I felt that I actually had something of value to offer the world. Truth of the matter is introverts add a lot of value to the workplace.
We may not necessarily be great salespeople, negotiators or spokespeople, but we do have a lot to offer. We are great listeners; after all, we don’t typically do much of the talking. We also are great observers.
How can these two worlds possibly coexist? By learning about and understanding one another.
Introverts focus on the self, meaning they process things internally. They are energized by being alone, and seek solace through individual activities.
Extraverts, on the other hand, crave social situations. They focus on the world outside them. Both are of equal value and add different meaning and points of view to our society at large.
Social butterflies, next time you try to strike conversation with someone who doesn’t seem to respond, they probably aren’t blowing you off. They probably just don’t know what to say to you and are not so great at small talk.
Wallflowers, next time someone starts chatting your ear off, they probably aren’t trying to annoy you. They just want to get to know you, or pass the time with breezy conversation.
Despite advertising around the university to get involved on campus with other students, feel free to be yourself. If that means trying to find a quite bench hidden in the corner where you can be alone, fantastic!
But if you want to try to get involved, that is great too. Despite initial abhorrence to social interaction, everyone needs a friend or two, even wallflowers.
