The Sudden Need to Overpackage A Profession
There was a time when saying what you did was simple.
“I sell thrifted T-shirts online.”
“I fix eyelashes.”
That was it. Clear and direct. Nobody asked for more. Somewhere along the way, that simplicity began to feel insufficient.
In this era of overhyped LinkedIn profiles and packaged Instagram bios a thrift vendor is now a “curated vintage apparel dealer.”
A lash technician is now an “eye enhancement specialist.”
It is the same job introduced in another language.
That’s acquired shame. It develops through repeated exposure to how people respond to what you do.
A woman selling thrifted T-shirts may begin by describing her work plainly. She understands her product and serves her customers well. Then comes the question that isn’t really a question, followed by the pause and raised eyebrows.
“Oh. Is that your main thing?”
“Are you planning something bigger?”
“What do you really do?”
Over time, she adjusts. The goal shifts from clarity to acceptability.
That is how acquired shame works. It quietly shapes how people present their work.
Part of this comes from how work is quietly ranked. People easily acknowledge roles with desks and ID cards, but they only take work you built yourself seriously when you dress it up.
So small business owners become founders, vendors become consultants, and creators become multi-hyphenates. Sometimes the language is accurate. Often, it’s just to meet expectations.
When work is overpackaged, it becomes harder for people to recognize it or refer others to it. A service that is too abstract or over-labeled does not immediately come to mind when opportunity appears.
Proper branding or ambition is not the issue. There is nothing wrong with growth or expansion. The problem starts when language becomes a shield against judgment instead of a reflection of what the work actually is.
There is nothing inherently small about selling T-shirts well. There is nothing unserious about doing lashes for a living. There is nothing lacking about building something outside traditional structures.
Work is valuable because it works. It sustains people, serves others, and requires consistency to maintain.
Acquired shame grows in environments where legitimacy is measured through perception. The more people feel the need to adjust their answers, the more that pressure reinforces itself.
If someone says what they do, that answer should be enough. It should not be stretched to fit an unnecessary standard.
By Esther O.
