@Flaky as if fedi ever had a really good image in the mainstream to begin with.
There is always something "wrong" with us seemingly. Its either to "nerdy", to complicated, or something else that people like to nitpick.
I found a cozy place for myself, met extremely nice people and happy in my little corner of the internet. I can be myself here.
I am often unsure if I ever want "mainstream" attention in a big way. It would in my eyes maybe even break what makes fedi great. Its quirkyness and uniqueness.
I can hear some horrorstories. I don't want these here. I can though tolerate other people expressing themselves. Even with NSFW stuff. Mostly its properly tagged and CW'ed so I don't see a problem with that personally.
Maybe just don't care enough for an "image"