The Fake You | BeVociferous

The Fake You: Breaking Free from the Illusions of Self

We all wear masks. Some are deliberate, carefully chosen to hide our flaws. Others are stitched into us by society, family, and expectations. The world claps for the polished, agreeable version of us, the one who smiles at the right time, stays quiet at the right time, and never stirs the water too much. But beneath it all, there is a voice, the one we silence, the one we deny. That voice is the real you, waiting beneath the fake you.

The question is not whether you have worn the mask. The real question is how long will you keep it on, and when will you finally start living authentically?

I once knew someone who lived their entire day like a script. At work, they spoke in a professional tone they never used at home. Among friends, they cracked jokes they didn’t even find funny. With family, they played the obedient role, nodding at things they never believed in.

One day, they confessed, “I don’t even know who I am anymore. I just know who I am supposed to be.”

That sentence echoed. Because isn’t this how so many of us live? We confuse the applause for authenticity. We start believing the fake self is the real one. And when the lights go off, we realize we have been clapping for a stranger.

The fake you is safe. It avoids judgment. It wins approval. But it also suffocates the real you. Every time you silence your truth to please someone, you let the fake you grow stronger. Every time you perform a role instead of living a voice, you trade authenticity for comfort.

The truth is simple: you cannot be vociferous while living as an echo. To confront the fake you is to risk rejection, yes. But it is also to reclaim freedom, self-discovery, and your authentic life.

The first lesson is this: the fake you will always seek approval, but the real you seeks expression. Approval can fill rooms with applause, but authenticity fills your life with meaning.

The second lesson is that masks are heavy. We think they protect us, but in reality, they exhaust us. The weight of pretending is heavier than the risk of being.

And the third lesson is that liberation begins with discomfort. To peel away the fake you, to strip off the masks we wear, is not easy. But only in discomfort do we begin to grow into the people we were always meant to be.

Confronting the fake you begins with noticing. Notice the moments when your words don’t match your feelings, when your laugh is rehearsed, when your silence feels forced. Awareness is the first rebellion.

Then, allow yourself to crack the mask. Speak one truth in a room where you usually play safe. Say “no” where you always said “yes.” Let someone see a version of you that isn’t polished, isn’t perfect, but is real. This is the beginning of self-discovery.

Over time, the fake you weakens. Not because the world accepts the real you instantly, but because you do. And that acceptance is louder than applause.

Also, Read

• The Power of Idiosyncrasies

• The Power of Presence

• English, Say It Right, Say It Loud

The fake you may keep you safe, but it will never make you free. Life is too short to live as a performance. The world doesn’t need another mask. It needs your unpolished laugh, your raw truth, your authentic voice.

To be vociferous is to peel away the layers until only truth remains. And when you dare to show that truth, you don’t just find yourself, you free yourself.

Be heard. BeVociferous. — RV Lúcido