Everybody makes judgments about me based on my shyness, and usually they are wrong. I can't tell you how many times somebody has told me, "You are so cool, but I used to think you were weird." Here are some common misconceptions that every shy girl knows are complete bogus:

• You're quiet because you're a snob or a bitch. This is one of the most common misconceptions. It's hard for extroverts to understand shyness. The loud girls would never understand that I didn't talk because I was so shy that sometimes it made me sick to my stomach to talk to others. They would assume that I didn't talk because I thought I was too good for them.
• You don't talk because you have nothing interesting to say. I feel like there is so much in my brain I just want to say. Maybe one day, I'll just explode and say everything I'm thinking. I can't really explain it, but I feel like there is this physical barrier between my brain and my mouth. I am constantly in a battle with myself. By the time I win, the moment has passed and whatever I was going to say is no longer relevant.
• Shy girls aren't funny. When I first started working at Starbucks, the other baristas thought I had no sense of humor. Because I'm so quiet, it's hard for others to get a handle on my personality. If others would make a joke, they would make it clear to me that they were kidding so I wouldn't get offended, but they didn't realize I never took offense. When I made sarcastic comments (which was often), nobody realized I was joking and they didn't know how to react.
• Shyness equals innocence. I can't tell you the number of times someone made a sexual joke or used a bad word and apologized to me, as if I cared. You remember when Britney Spears sang, "I'm not that innocent"? If I didn't hate that stupid "Oops! I Did It Again" song so much, I might adopt that as my mantra. It's not like I'm a party girl, but I do have a wild side; I just choose not to talk about it or show it to everyone.