You don’t owe anyone the version of you they preferred in middle school.

People get attached to the version of you they met first, partly because it is easier to remember and partly because it fixed their own place beside you. When you change, that arrangement changes too, so the pull backwards is usually about their comfort rather than your character. An old self is not a contract you signed.

Expect some teasing when you start something new, and keep going through it. You can be warm about it without folding. The ones who adjust are the ones staying, and most of them adjust faster than you are braced for.