ADRI DIAZ.

thought I'd be cool in California ...

BIOGRAPHY.

#a study in - the danger of expectations and stereotypes 

The youngest Diaz, Adri leaned into her parents' attention. Expected as it was, the Diaz parents turning lax and more affectionate with their youngest child, Adri learned quickly what smiles and fake tears earned her; then, she realized what sparkling pens and charming words meant for her popularity in the schoolyard. In turn, her parents expected her to be more emotional than her siblings - and less smart. 

She grows up with pink ribbons and bright skirts.  She steals Sophia's clothes, even when too big. Eddie's too. Adri dances ballet and folklorico; she attends church every Sunday and throughout the week. She gets into trouble with her friends, but nothing that can't be forgiven - or hidden. For the most part, Adri is the perfect daughter. 

But discomfort grows. Once careless parents turn more strict. Eddie's teen pregnancy has scared their parents; they don't trust Adri to make the right decisions. When she's accepted to a summer dance intensive in NYC at fifteen, she's forbidden to go. So, Adri decides if she can't do what she wants, then maybe she can be as smart as Sophia. She'll make a life for herself the way Eddie couldn't. 

By the end of high school, Adri had earned a decent scholarship at UPenn if she played volleyball there. Stellar GPA, student government, volunteering through her church - Adri still snuck out at night, but she proved her parents had nothing to fear. Except - the money only goes so far for an out-of-state tuition. Since she wants to go into nursing anyway, certainly not at all influenced by her brother's army medic career, Adri figures joining the Navy's nursing corps program is the perfect solution. 

Again, her parents forbid it. And Adri's tried. She's tired from high school, she's tired of fitting into a mold that no longer fits. She realizes she hadn't just been stealing Eddie's clothes because that's what younger sisters do - it had been deeper than that. So, she accepts the student loans; she joins a sorority because even if the 'girlhood' of it all gets exhausting, it still feels safe. She plays volleyball and turns her short daily video diaries into a decent social media following. Adri isn't ready to leave all of the expectations behind, even when she does come out later. (Something she'll later learn her parents only humored as they expected it to be a phase. And because Adri didn't care much for correcting pronouns constantly and has always been a bit of a chameleon when it comes to fashion, most people got away with assuming she's a cis woman. Besides, the sports world had only just let student-athletes monetize themselves, Adri hadn't wanted to rock the boat by being too vocal. ) 

While her parents objected to Navy service for Adri, they had no issue with her becoming a Navy spouse. They expected her to get a 'mrs degree' and she practically had - Adri married Raf right after graduation, a quick ceremony at the courthouse before he continued onto Navy flight school. Like Eddie, Adri had no idea how to navigate a marriage so young. Raf's schedule was unpredictable, her new career as an ER nurse made more difficult by the moves, and Adri struggled with how much she should or shouldn't share online. Her content was relatable to other Navy spouses, but as time went on, Adri felt pigeonholed into the role. 

It isn't just what Adri shared online. It was with Raf too. Their once easy relationship struggled under the pressure of Navy life. Raf wanted children and a wife who stayed home. While Adri might have liked the idea when she was 19 and they were falling in love, Adri was no longer sure she even wanted kids. The decisions they had made then, two kids faced with a pregnancy scare, no longer applied. Months of arguments led to their divorce. Raf was engaged a few months later. 

She doesn't want to move back to El Paso; years spent away with nothing but a divorce to show for it. She can't move back to Philly, where most of their friends had moved on or supported Raf in the divorce. So, she picked LA. It's easy enough to find work as a nurse and well, where else would a semi-successful influencer move to? (And maybe, just maybe, it's because Eddie made it work in LA too.)