In my 20s, I once wore a new dress to work. As I nipped out of the office to get my lunch from the nearby shop, I noticed people were looking at me. It felt so great… until a stranger tapped me on the shoulder, and quietly informed me that the tag from the store was still hanging from the back of my dress. My cheeks burned instantly. The confidence I’d been walking with just crumbled.

I laughed nervously, thanked her, and quickly pulled the tag off, but inside, I felt embarrassed. All morning I had been walking around thinking people were admiring my new dress. Now I realized they were probably smirking or whispering about the dangling tag. It was such a small thing, but at that age, appearances mattered so much to me. I walked back to the office feeling smaller, my head down, just hoping no one else had noticed.