I really hate it when people think of me as (your most stereotyped self)...

I think people who do not know me well think that I am very secure, perhaps to the point of being stuck up. I asked my friend what he thought of me before he knew me and he said that he thought I just had better things to do than to talk to someone like him. He also said that I appeared somewhat introverted and oblivious. I would say that I am at times also stereotyped as ditzy.
I find it funny that people who don’t know me think I am secure, because nothing is more wrong. I am constantly questioning myself, from the way I walk to how I dress to the words I say. I believe that I am a very good performer and I am constantly performing the role that projects an image of “I know what I’m doing,” but I don’t mean for this performance to make me unapproachable or overly secure. It is my way of projecting what I feel I should be projecting. I find this somewhat ironic.
In terms of my being oblivious and ditzy, I know that I am stereotyped this way because I play up to these stereotypes. I found out freshman year of college that if I act ditzy and oblivious to things, there is less room for me to fall short of people's expectations. This way, if I do or say something stupid, people won't be surprised; however, if I say or do something intelligent, they will. It seemed like a fail proof system. I quickly realized how sad it was that I was cutting myself down so low. Of all the people who cut others down, this was the last thing I needed to be doing to myself.
I have, in the past, been positively stereotyped as "perfect." For a long time people didn't see any of my faults because I did so well at hiding them. As already mentioned, I am a great performer. Though being perfect was a positive stereotype, I view it as more negative because it sets a person on a pedestal with nowhere to go but down.