When you look at me, you'll probably notice that I'm skinny and have a "pretty face." But I am so much more than that.

Unfortunately, you've judged this book by her cover.

"Don't judge a book by its cover." This is a statement that many people have heard but likely don't follow. Even better, we can't follow it.

We psychologically cannot help but judge a book by its cover.

A series of experiments by Princeton psychologists Janine Willis and Alexander Todorov reveal that all it takes is a tenth of a second to form an impression of a stranger from their face — and that longer exposures don't significantly alter those impressions (although they might boost your confidence in your judgments).

One-tenth of a second. That's the same amount of time it takes to blink an eye. We unknowingly form an impression of another person in the blink of an eye, just by looking at his or her face.

Since we can't help but judge a book by its cover, how do we get past that to read the content of the book?

It's simple. Get to know the person.

When you look at me while I'm in business professional attire, you'd never guess that I've grown up on a farm.

JaelAnn Hoover

If you've observed me in a professional setting or in the show ring, you may assume that there's not a fun and jovial side to who I am. You'll likely just see someone who is dead-serious and intent on accomplishing the task at hand (I've been told that it's intimidating).

JaelAnn Hoover

No matter what I'm wearing, I bet you'd never guess just by looking at me that I'm a caregiver. I help take care of my uncle with Down syndrome, my grandfather who is in the beginning stages of Alzheimer's, and my grandmother who just got her prosthesis and has dialysis treatments three times a week.

You could probably assume that I'm a college or high school student due to how old I look, but you wouldn't be able to determine that I'm an honor student. That might change if you took a moment to talk to me.

Since you're reading this, you'll likely assume that I enjoy writing, but you may never know why.

Unless you see me with my boots off, you won't know that I typically wear socks with cats on them (there's part of the fun and jovial side of who I am).

(PS, I want a pair of socks like this.)

Even if you've known me for years, I bet there's something new you could learn about me. There might even be things that I learn about myself and who I am.

We're bound to judge a book by its cover, but it's not difficult to look past the cover and into the content of the book.

I'm SO much more than the skinny girl with a pretty face, and I'd love for people to open this book and read the content inside — instead of judging me by my cover.