The speaker in "Shedding Skin" describes taking an active role in the biological process of shedding, which symbolizes her choice to craft her own identity. Unnamed circumstances led the speaker to form a rough and scarred exterior. The verbs in the poem evoke the speaker's active participation: she "[strips]," "[slips]," "[leaves] behind," [sloughs]," and "[flicks]" her obsolete layers of skin, just to name a few (3, 4, 5, 6, and 7). Despite the potential for pain that vulnerability brings, the speaker ultimately prefers being in this tender state because it grants her the capacity to feel deeply.