Do You Hide Your Special Interest?

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And now I'm apparently not allowed to bring the bag to the job I want to get since it's immature

Yes typically. I realize now whenever I'd bring up my special interest, I think most people were offput by it without me realizing it.

I think my lack of social awareness really hurt me in my earlier years.

No. Never felt the need to. I had parents that supported them. My main special interest was/is meerkats. Also the one that caused me so much strife and why I HATE Meerkat Manor with a burning passion. It made it "cool" to like meerkats whereas I was bullied (even by my own family) for liking them. Now everyone's running around claiming to be obsessed with meerkats. No your not, Honey. Oh but I am. No, you just think you are, Honey. Look, you're really cute about it but you're not "obsessed" with them. Believe me, when the next fad comes out, you will think you are 'obsessed" with that and forget all about meerkats. And they did. If I grew up in the UK, I'd hate "Compare the Meerkat" too because people would have constantly been running up to me shouting "Simples".

But anyway, my parents mainly accepted and supported my special interests. My mom threatened to take away my meerkat pictures and plushies when I had meltdowns or when I did something she perceived as "rude" but she never went through with it. Plus she would get these migraines and neurological things that changed her into a completely different person for a time. But most of the time she supported me. "I did not know if you had this meerkat plushie already but I got him for you anyway. If you already have this one, maybe you can sit them next to each other and say they are identical twins?". I never had the plushies she randomly found either so no meerkat plushie twins.

But no, I never hid my special interests. If people had a problem with my special interests, those people were just not people for me. I was the stereotypical "autistic loner" and did not really want friends for the sake of having friends so I was happy to be alone with my special interests. I did eventually find friends who shared my special interests and those were the friendships that lasted for decades and are STILL going strong.

I don't think 'hide' is the right word, it's more like I know that most people are quite uncomfortable talking about things they don't know or understand (they can often interpret that as an attack on their relative status to you) and the conflict of trying to talk about things, people, ideas that other people don't know or really even just fill them in on for the first time once you realize that they don't know is worse than the loneliness that I might feel keeping it in. It's a bit like someone saying 'I've never heard (of) that before' has a defensive threat implied.

Thankfully there are places and people where I know we have common interests, or I have some friends who are just open to new ideas, new music, etc., they enjoy the back and forth and don't perceive it as an attack.

I don't hide my special interests, but I don't bother talking to people about them unless they ask (and god help them if they do). Buddhism I kinda keep secret mostly because people would probably laugh if they thought I was trying to be a Buddhist. Plus I live in Kentucky now and I'm not real sure how people would react to that out here. If you're not a Baptist or Evangelical than you're probably the Devil. Any way, I've always had anger issues and I look like a bouncer at a club so I really don't always look/act the part of a Buddhist that practices loving-kindness lol.

I don’t talk about my special interests much, but I don’t talk that much in general. I’m very shy.

If people I was close to shared my special interests, I would probably talk about them more than I do.

I try not to talk about it too much in certain situations. It was explained tome that I should let people talk about their own interests more because if I talk about mine even a few times, I will end up monopolizing a conversation with those few times by talking too long. But if I keep bringing it up even in little bits, I could monopolize conversations that way too.

I talked about interests more than I realized. My parents and sibling with the advice of some therapist made the habit of saying "you're talking about __ again" when I did about my interest. It did train me a little.

I am not interested in anything so nothing to "hide"

My interests are pretty niche and nerdy to the point I put on a "mask." But then I become too quiet and boring. I'm pretty bad at engaging in conversations even if it's something that interests me. Which is pretty rare. I need to move to a bigger and nerdier city lol.

In terms of fixations, yeah I used to constantly talk about a 90's celebrity crush on a few forums. Funny enough I made friends who are a fan of this comedian and don't mind my obsession.

On the other hand I unfortunately encountered one bad apple who was concerned I wanted to make a Nendoroid (Japanese action figure) out of him. Even though in actuality I was basing the custom off of his character from a movie. Someone sure is fun at parties...

I'm interested in postage stamps and I have told people where I volunteer (second hand shop) that if any stamps are donated could I please see them before they're put out on the shop floor. So I've made my interest heard there.

My whole family knows I like anything Japanese but I only talk about it if they bring it up.