The Art of Being Yourself: Zain Gatt on Authenticity in a Basic Age

In an age where individuality is everywhere, and yet somehow increasingly difficult to find, being yourself can feel like an act of rebellion.

Social media has made self-expression more visible than ever. Trends move at the speed of a scroll, aesthetics arrive fully formed, and algorithms can turn personal style into something almost prescriptive. There is always another look to emulate, another version of yourself to become. In a world that constantly tells us what is ‘in’, what is ‘out’, what is masculine, what is feminine, and what is acceptable, authenticity can become its own kind of radical statement.

For Zain Gatt, however, standing out has never been particularly new.

“I never fit in with the boys and even with the girls,” he says. “When I was making friends, I was always too feminine for most boys and too masculine for girls.”

There is something revealing in the simplicity of that admission. Zain’s story is not about one dramatic moment of self-discovery, nor is it a neatly packaged coming-of-age story with a clear beginning and end. Instead, it has been a gradual process of learning to inhabit himself more comfortably through fashion, beauty, experimentation, confidence and, above all, unfiltered self-expression.

“There wasn't a particular moment where I began to be fully comfortable with myself,” he explains. “It was a journey where my confidence grew whilst I was understanding myself more and more through unfiltered self expression.”

That idea of ‘journey’ sits at the heart of everything Zain speaks about. Authenticity, for him, isn't a destination. It is something continually negotiated.

Refusing the box

From school to college and eventually the workplace, Zain says he encountered the expectations that come with a society built around conventional gender roles.

“This was always the case due to society's heteronormative ways,” he says.

His relationship with fashion and beauty became one of the ways he could push back against those expectations. Hair colours, makeup, clothing, tattoos and body modifications became more than aesthetic choices. They became tools through which he could investigate who he was, and who he could be.

“I am still defining myself as it is an ongoing journey,” he says. “But I practice self love and self awareness to make sure I am positive and accepting myself.”

That process has not always been easy, particularly in corporate environments where Zain felt visibly different from the people around him.

“I have always had to prove myself as I looked and acted a bit different from a room filled with heteronormative people who identify immensely with their gender roles,” he says. “Since I have always, in different ways, not matched my gender role; I never fit in.”

Difference, naturally, can attract attention. Some of it is negative. But Zain discovered something else, too: authenticity can act as a filter. The more comfortable he became with showing up as himself, the more likely he was to attract people who appreciated that honesty.

“My confidence and willingness to unapologetically be myself attracted the right people,” he says.

His closest friendships, he notes, are with people he has known for more than a decade. In a culture that can make connections feel disposable, those long-standing relationships carry their own significance. They suggest that authenticity isn't necessarily about being liked by everyone. Sometimes it is about finding the people with whom you don't have to perform.

The opposite of a chameleon

Zain’s relationship with beauty is particularly interesting because he does not describe it as a means of hiding or correcting himself. Instead, beauty becomes a language.

His experimentation began young, with different hair colours and styles of clothing, and has continued into a willingness to wear clothes from any gender and incorporate makeup into his everyday presentation.

“I have tried all different looks from short hair to long hair to bald shave,” he says. “You could say I am the opposite of a chameleon, as instead of blending in with the surroundings, I stand out.”

It is a line that captures Zain particularly well.

In a culture obsessed with personal branding, there is an irony to standing out authentically: the goal isn't necessarily to create one recognisable “look.” Zain’s identity is fluid enough to accommodate contradiction. Some days his styling leans masculine; other days, feminine. Neither invalidates the other.

“I style myself differently, sometimes more masculine and sometimes more feminine, and they're all honestly meaningful as it reflects a part of me that another style doesn't.”

Even his preference for lighter hair carries personal meaning. He is “obsessed with lighter hair colours,” particularly blonde, which he says gives him a distinctive look against his darker features.

But beneath the colours, clothes and cosmetics is a deeper understanding of beauty.

“Beauty is definitely subjective,” he says, “but I am a firm believer that we all have a big dose of beauty, being internal or external.”

Skincare, aesthetics and fashion can enhance the outside, he acknowledges. Yet growing more comfortable with himself has changed where he places the emphasis.

“Real true beauty is internal,” he says. “This beauty is a reflection of how we treat people around us and it's the one that never goes away.”

Beyond Pride as a label

Gatt's understanding of authenticity is inseparable from the freedom to express identity openly. As a Maltese person, he is conscious of the progress his country has made on LGBTQIA+ rights—and grateful for it.

But legal progress, he argues, does not automatically mean social acceptance has reached the same place.

“We're very, very fortunate to have all the LGBT+ rights,” he says. “Pride is all about being yourself and sadly I feel that in Malta we are still not in the right headspace about this.”

One of the attitudes he encounters is the familiar question: if there is Pride, why isn't there Straight Pride?

For Gatt, the answer is rooted in history rather than competition.

“Pride is not about excluding straight people or claiming that one identity matters more than another,” he says. “It exists because LGBTQIA+ people have historically been denied the freedom to live openly.”

And allies, he stresses, have a role to play too, particularly those willing to question restrictive expectations around gender and identity.

For Gatt, the fundamental principle is remarkably straightforward: being able to express yourself without fear of judgement should not be a privilege.

“It should be a basic right,” he says.

The word 'basic' is important here. Because perhaps the real problem with authenticity in a “basic age” is that something as basic as being yourself can still feel extraordinary.

A message to his younger self

When asked what he would tell his younger self, Gatt doesn't offer a polished inspirational speech.

“Baby boy, you have a lot to learn!”

There is humour in the answer, but also tenderness. He would tell that younger version of himself to keep expressing himself, to keep being himself, and to understand that life will teach him through both love and pain.

“Rely on your friends but remember you are your own hero.”

It is a sentiment that echoes throughout his story. Friends matter. Community matters. Acceptance matters. But ultimately, self-acceptance cannot be outsourced.

That may be particularly important for young LGBTQIA+ people who are still trying to work out where they belong.

Gatt's advice is not to rush toward some imagined final version of themselves.

“When we're young, we place high expectations on ourselves and believe that reaching the end goal is the real prize,” he says. “As we grow older, we realise that the true rewards are the memories we create along the way.”

And the journey, he adds, never really ends.

Making room for others

There is a natural temptation when discussing individuality to focus exclusively on the self: my identity, my expression, my freedom. But Gatt's philosophy extends beyond personal liberation.

He consciously tries to create an environment in which other people can feel comfortable being themselves, too.

His advice is deceptively simple: focus on positivity, don't allow negativity to consume you, recognise what is within your control, and make sure your freedom does not come at the expense of someone else's wellbeing.

“Make sure you're not hurting anyone around you and keep being yourself.”

There is a balance in that statement that feels increasingly relevant. Authenticity isn't permission to disregard everyone else. It is the freedom to exist honestly while extending that same freedom outward.

Perhaps that is where Gatt's version of self-expression differs from mere performance. It isn't about demanding attention. It is about refusing to shrink.

Authenticity without a deadline

For anyone still struggling to express themselves, Gatt's most important advice may also be his gentlest: take your time.

“Understand your emotions and feelings and be accountable,” he says. “Make sure you respect others around you whilst understanding your own sexuality and seek support.”

There is no demand to have everything figured out immediately. No requirement to arrive at a definitive identity, aesthetic or answer.

Instead, there is permission to explore.That is ultimately what makes Zain Gatt's story resonate beyond fashion, beauty or Pride. His authenticity is not found in a single haircut, colour, outfit or label. It is found in the willingness to keep experimenting—to change, to question, to stand out, to occasionally contradict himself, and to accept that all of those things can coexist.

In a culture that often confuses conformity with normality, Gatt has chosen something else.

He chooses the blonde hair when it feels like him. He chooses makeup when it feels like him. He chooses masculine silhouettes some days and feminine ones on others. He chooses to talk openly about the discomfort of not fitting into gender expectations. And he chooses to believe that the person he is today does not have to be the person he becomes tomorrow.

His final message is perhaps the simplest of all.

“Love yourself before you love anyone else because that's the only path to true love.”

In the end, authenticity is not about becoming the most unusual person in the room. It is about becoming comfortable enough in your own skin that you no longer need the room to tell you who you are.

And for Zain Gatt, that is still a work in progress—which may be precisely the point.

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Thank you Zain for sharing your insights! Follow Zain Gatt on Instagram @zainsebastiang for more beauty, fashion, and self-expression. 🔥