I was the exact opposite, and I was reminded of it constantly.

While Marissa competed on the pageant circuit, I preferred to study.

When I earned a full academic scholarship to university, my father asked why I couldn’t dress more femininely.

When I graduated top of my class with honors, my mother observed that degrees do not mean much if no man ever wants to take you to dinner.

Over time, I stopped trying to earn their approval, and it turned out to be the single best decision of my entire life.

They believed I worked an entry-level administrative job, shuffling basic paperwork for institutional investments, and they never once asked for the details, because it was enough for them to imagine me stuck in a drab cubicle, earning a modest salary, living alone in a small apartment.