When Invisible Rules Hold You Back

Wealthy families in Newport, Rhode Island created a fashion rule in the late 1800s to keep outsiders away.

The rule was that you shouldn’t wear white after the first Monday in September - Labor Day in the US. 

It was a way for these sophisticates to separate themselves from the middle class. 

Those “in the know” understood these unspoken seasonal rules.

Breaking them marked you as an obvious outsider.

PERMISSION PATROL

Back then, outsiders were spotted by their wardrobe.

Today, as dyslexics, we rule ourselves out of careers before we even step in.


Scroll dyslexia Reddit or Facebook groups and you’ll see the question pop up weekly:

“What’s the best job for dyslexics?”

That’s like asking a passing driver in rush hour traffic:

“Hey, what’s the best diet for my blood type?”

They don’t know your blood type.

They don’t know what drives you.

They have no clue as to what actually lights you up.

Yet we still ask…

Awaiting for permission from total strangers.

GATEKEEPERS 

Here’s the thing about the “no white after Labor Day” silliness.

It wasn’t a law, just uptowners being exclusive.

And because they had influence…

Magazines like Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar hyped up seasonal wardrobes.

Department stores loved it because suddenly everyone “needed” a fall closet swap after Labor Day.

And just like that, snobbery got a dress code.

Fashion had its dress codes.

Careers have their labels and dyslexics start believing them.

“Dyslexics can’t be mathematicians, researchers, doctors, accountants, lawyers, copywriters or authors.”

Statements from nameless, faceless Career Cops enforcing arbitrary rules nobody actually voted on.

GOD’S CLOSET 

Let’s talk about the ultimate rule breaker!

Have you ever seen God rocking autumn plaid?

A flannel onesie? 

A seersucker suit for Easter brunch?

What about the Almighty in Steampunk?

Heck no!


The Creator in Chief wears white robes year-round.

Not summer white. Not winter white. Just white.

Even He isn’t following the “no white after Labor Day” rule.

So why base your potential on rules nobody voted on?

Or on permission that was never needed?

WHAT GETS BURIED 

Here’s the cost of following invisible rules:

Your potential gets buried under somebody else’s assumptions.

That sweet spot, where your passion and energy meet skills and capabilities…

It doesn’t care about hand-me-down limitations.

Maybe your path isn’t that of creative dyslexic…

The outside the box thinker who sees patterns no one in the universe has ever seen before.

Maybe for you, it's the numbers game everyone said was impossible.

Or that detail-oriented field they insisted you'd hate.

Something no one expects.

Just because there’s no dyslexic posting TikToks or IG Reels about your dream path doesn’t mean it’s not real.

FAKE RULES

Wearing white after Labor Day never hurt anybody.

But living by invisible rules? 

That’s a kind of pain no one deserves.

Now this isn’t some fist-pounding call to blow up your life,

or torch what you’ve spent years building.

It’s just a heads-up…

To stop asking, “What’s good for dyslexics?”

And start asking, “What’s good for me?”

Winter, spring, summer, or fall…

God’s been wearing white every season.

Because if you can’t be yourself, then who exactly are you?

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