Do you know someone with a bad reputation? Did their actions create that reputation or did you come to that conclusion yourself? What you put out there is what others take in when forming an opinion about you because you create your reputation.

     You can put any reputation you want out to the world. To illustrate, Iago from the play Othello created his reputation to be known as a kind and honest man. In reality, Iago was a two-faced psychopathic liar. He was evil underneath the ¨kindness¨ he showed others. If reputations are not made by the people they belong to then Iago would not have been able to fool everyone. Overall, this proves you can form your reputation by the people you surround yourself with, the way you express yourself, and the way you treat others. 

      You can create a new reputation. For example, last year I had a bad reputation. I was known as one of the bad kids. I created that reputation by hanging around kids that got into trouble. I did not care to change it until this year. I decided I wanted a better reputation. I created a better reputation for myself by finding new friends and new interests. Another reason that you create your reputation is that my best friend and I used to hate each other. She was known as one of the mean girls and I was known as one of the quiet kids. One day in fifth grade she and a few of her friends ganged up on me and would not let me on the bus. So I punched her right in the face. We were enemies after that. Then, on the first day of school this year, I showed up to soccer practice to see her in the goal. I immediately think that this is gonna be bad. After a while, we started talking during practice and getting to know each other. We became really good friends. Six years ago we would have never been friends due to our reputations. But we both matured and became better people. Doing so we created new reputations for ourselves. Taken together, these two pieces of evidence demonstrate that you can change your reputation because you create your reputation.  

    Some might object that not all reputations may be true or fair but you have control over your actions and others may interpret them in any way. That is why it is important to always be kind and stay away from people and things that can ruin your reputation.

     Overall, your reputation is in your hands. You can decide whether you have a bad reputation or not. You put out there what you want the world to see.