The Mask and the Authentic Self

Sor Juana lived under constant pressure to conform: to be less intellectual, more pious, more obedient. She could not fully unmask, yet she left a record of her resistance and her true self in her letters and poetry. Neurodivergent people—particularly autistic individuals and those with ADHD—are experts in masking: suppressing stimming, forcing eye contact, performing neurotypical social scripts at enormous cognitive cost. This concept, rooted in Sor Juana's struggle, asks: What is the price of sustained masking? What does authenticity mean when your neurodivergent traits have been pathologized? It affirms the right to unmask selectively, to stim, to hyperfocus, to move and think in ways that feel natural. Authenticity here is not about being "raw" but about aligning external behavior with internal reality—a profound act of justice toward oneself.