A transformative workshop at the 2024 NWSA Annual Convention aimed at shedding light on the social dynamics that shape selfhood and perpetuate norms of ‘normalcy’ and ‘deviance,’ and ultimately establish the ‘ideal’ and ‘non-ideal,’ ‘worthy’ and ‘unworthy,’ and ‘deserving’ and ‘non-deserving.’ Participants discover how our bodies, minds, and social performativity are dissected and assessed, so that mere aspects of Self come to represent the whole and that which is invaluable and complex is assigned value and reduced to function and functionality. By uncovering the mechanisms by which society assigns meaning to the fragmented Self and establishes expectations we are seldom set up to embody and fulfill, participants gain insight into the underpinnings of objectification, othering and marginalization. Recognizing these social dynamics is key to resistance, true agency, individual wellbeing, and the renewal of a sense of social interconnectedness that can pave the way for a more inclusive and equitable society.