Perception is other people's reality
What we call perception is other people's reality
Have you ever heard somebody say: yes, but we are perceived as <adjective>? as a way to say we're not quite like that, it's their fault for not seeing us differently, etc. In other words we're not taking responsibility.
Stop right there and remember that how we are perceived is other people's reality.
And it's our responsibility to change it, should we not be ok with it. And it's our fault if we don't.
As the saying goes: we have to deal with world as it is, not as we wish it it would be