Just Like the Stereotype, I Can Be a Loud Pushy Woman Who Interrupts
And it really annoys my husband.
Friends who know me now would likely be shocked if I told them I was a shy, quiet girl for most of my early childhood. I don’t think I came out of my shell until middle school when I finally had a group of good friends.
I was a bossy, loud child at home (I was the eldest child!) but I tended to be quiet at my elementary school because I didn’t have a lot of friends. Plus, I was still hyper-sensitive about being the daughter of immigrants. I didn’t want to stick out so I tried to blend into the background.
I thought of my natural communication style after reading Jeremy Helligar’s essay, “I’m Black and I’m Loud.” As the daughter of Chinese immigrants, I grew up in a family where we spoke at a higher volume than most Americans. Once one person got loud, we would escalate our volumes to match or exceed their volume.
I have never needed a megaphone — I can easily make myself heard in a crowded high school gym or even in a large classroom of over 100 students chatting away.
My family members also regularly interrupted each other. As a result, I speak faster than most people as I was usually in a rush to share my thoughts before someone else interrupted me.
