I want to start out by telling everyone that I’m writing this piece as a PSA. I am an extremely honest person and very confident in myself, my abilities, and what I have to offer. So, while this doesn’t bother me even though it happened to me, it’s a perfect example of how some people act and why their opinion shouldn’t matter.

I was helping a customer today and I could feel him staring at me every time I turned my face away from him. This was the conversation that followed:

Him: (Leaning over the counter) I was a dentist before I retired. (Staring directly at my mouth)

Me: Yeah, they’re fake. (Talking about my teeth).

Him: (Lowers his voice just a bit) I know they’re fake, I was a dentist. Why did you say that so loud? I was trying to be discreet over here.

Me: Sir. If you really wanted to be discreet, you would have chosen to say nothing.

Him: You’re not supposed to tell people they’re fake.

Me: (Unconcerned by what he actually said but annoyed by his passive-aggressiveness) Why? I spent years not smiling at people. I actively tried to hide my face and change the way I spoke so people wouldn’t see my teeth. I haven’t been able to eat properly for years because I couldn’t bite into anything. By getting me teeth fixed, I gained back all that confidence I lost and then some. I feel better about myself, I feel healthier now that I can eat. Why would I not be allowed to tell people the truth about myself?

Him: (clearly not knowing how to respond) You know you can get implants, that might help.

Me: (rolls eyes) I have four of them. Two are active, I have to go back to have the other two completed. I had to do it in stages because I didn’t have seventeen-thousand dollars to hand over at once. What I have right now is temporary.

Him: Oh.

Me: (What I actually said) Your total is going to be $234.54.

Me: (What I wanted to say) You know, sir, as a former professional dentist, you may be able to tell that my teeth aren’t real. But, as a current dental patient, I know, for a fact, that you are exactly the type of person who should not work in the medical field. Did you keep a referral list of therapists on your desk for all the beautiful women who you made to feel like absolute shit about themselves because of your lack of understanding of what a sympathetic bedside manner is? You may have learned about dentistry in school, but you must have been absent the day they taught the lesson on how to not be a shitty person.

Obviously, I couldn’t say that because I was working. Before I went in for these procedures, I felt bad enough about my appearance, I didn’t need people pointing out my flaws. I was/am very aware of how I look(ed). Now that I’ve had things fixed, I don’t care what people think or what they say because I feel good about myself. I’m more confident about my smile now then I ever have been throughout my entire life.

And this man decided the only way his day would be better was to let me know that he knows.

You know what I know? This man…he can say what he wants. Nothing that comes out of his mouth is going to make me feel bad about myself for doing what I had to do to better my quality of life and improve my health, both physically and mentally. While I never lost confidence in who I was, I lost all of it when it came to my appearance. I honestly forgot what it felt like to feel this good because it’s been so long.

So, this is my PSA: Don’t ever let other people make you feel bad about yourself. Do not let people tear you down for bettering yourself. And for the love of what/whoever you believe in, be proud of who you are and what you’ve overcome. There is not an opinion on this planet that matters more than your own when it comes to how you feel about yourself.

Be proud.

Be you.

Don’t let some asshole ruin your day just because they’re a shitty person.