I had always been comfortable in myself, it never really bothered me how I looked, nor did it seem to bother others, the people who I called friends. As I walked through the door somehow it was as if, overnight I was expected to wear clothes that I felt awkward in (but still looked cute), shoes that hurt my feet, and makeup that clogged my already full pores. I was met with grins and giggles from others. I caught tidbits of what they were saying.
?Look at her shoes! Why is she wearing those? They have holes and don?t even match what she has on.? said anonymous person number 1. I looked down, sure my Chucks were a little faded (okay a lot faded), but they were comfortable and isn?t that what mattered I thought.
?God does she even wash her face anymore, its like erupted, I can?t even see a smooth patch of skin? chimed in anonymous person number two. Its genetic, who are these people, and why are they making me feel bad about myself, I thought.
Okay, now as I think back, I will admit that it being the first day of middle school I should have put a little effort in my appearance but, who did I have to impress? Weren?t we coming here to learn? If I was going to sit in a classroom for 8 hours a day I needed to be comfortable.
By now I?m sure you have already gathered I was a tomboy. The kind of girl who would rather play with the boys than sit on the sidelines and talk about how ?oh so cute they looked when they caught the football?. Now I think my mother is to blame for this, she never really did give into that girly stereotype that most mothers did. Where I was only going to do cheerleading ?because I?m a delicate flower and all that yadda yadda yadda ya?. She always let me make my own choices and never forced things upon me. Boy did she really mess me up, I mean being so understanding and all.
And so my morning went, being verbally assaulted by people who I didn?t even know, scrutinizing every aspect of my wardrobe, being so blunt and uncaring to the fact that I could hear them, I was on the verge of tears. Somewhere in between hearing them trying to figure out why ?
Jeannette’s timid nature is a shared characteristic that we both share. This was evident through her reluctance to take off her dress while she was at the community pool with her classmate, Dinitia and other women. She was self-conscious about her body and the scar that was on her ribs as a result from an accident she had at three years old cooking hot dogs. After a few moments of encouraging herself, she was able to take off her dress and put on a bathing suit. Like Jeannette, I have struggled with shyness when it comes to body image. I started puberty at eight years old, and the children I went to school with, were relentless in teasing me about having to wear a bra. This caused my self-esteem to plummet and lead me to bind my chest with tape
The search for one’s identity can be a constant process and battle, especially for teenagers and young adults. Many people have a natural tendency to want to fit in and be accepted by others, whether it be with family, friends or even strangers. They may try to change who they are, how they act, or how they dress in order to fit in. As one gets older, society can influence one’s view on what they should look like, how they should act, or how they should think. If society tells us that a certain body type or hair color is beautiful, that is what some people strive for and want to become in order to be more liked. This was especially true with Avery as she longed for the proper clothes to fit into a social group and began to change the way she spoke to match those around her. As a young and impressionable sixth grader, she allowed herself to become somewhat whitewashed in an attempt to fit in with the other girls. However, Avery did not really become friends with any of those girls; her only real friend was
...se is wrong and no body would like me. Furthermore, I used to skip school just because I did not want people to see me. It was a huge struggle to me but I managed to lose weight just to feel good about myself. In my opinion, people should not be judged by their looks and everybody should be happy about themselves. Clothing should not be a reason to fail or the physical look.
I did not have the perfect body. I suddenly became aware of my appearance and made sure I wore makeup every day, especially on days I had Art I with Eric. Before every class I would brush my hair and put on lip gloss in order to try and fit in. To grab Eric’s attention I thought I had to wear clothes that made me appear slimmer and live up to society’s expectations of beauty. Pipher defines this as “lookism, which is the evaluation of a person solely on the basis of appearance” (346). Every time I talked to Eric I assumed he was judging me by the way I looked and not by my personality or values. I constantly felt like I was not good enough and that my body type was not the kind that guys found attractive. Pipher states that girls “sense the pressure to be someone they are not” (346). Every day I walked around acting in a play where I could not be myself. The more I put forth an act the more I felt that I did not fit in. Adolescent girls find themselves “vulnerable to the hurricane” (346) of judgement and predetermined expectations of women. After a while, Eric finally gave me the attention I longed for and we started to date. I had never been in a relationship before and I never knew how much tension it would cause between me and my
She was obedient child that require very little redirection from the guideline set by her parents while she was growing up. She was seen as a tomboy growing up because she enjoyed the outdoors and sports. She would rather be outside doing yard work rather than cleaning or cooking. My mother also had the responsibility of taking care of her younger siblings when her parents were not present.
sure, look your best, by all means do whatever you think is necessary! but don't judge others on it! Some people don't have the money to buy designer brand clothing, and they are deemed losers and tormented for that.
--I generally was beaten when I happened to be too late; and when I got up in the morning the apprehension of that was so great, that I used to run, and cry all the way as I went to the mill.
My mother, Kari Jenson, is one of the most important people in my life. She gave birth to me, helped me learn to walk and so many other things that I find amazing. I cannot begin to fathom how much patience she had to have to deal with me all the time as a child. I’m sure she still has to have patience to deal with me now, but I imagine it was a lot more back then. She has molded me into the person I am today and I wouldn’t want it to be any different. She has always been supportive of everything I have tried from basketball to skateboarding and from football to paintball. Even though there are some things that I do she doesn’t like she usu...
I did not wear what the other girls wore; I wore a dress that was similar to something that would be worn to a conservative type party. I did have makeup on, but there were no spray tan, acrylic nails, or hairpieces. As I stood next to the other girls I felt my self-confidence go down the longer the pageant went on. The other girls had the “glitz” dresses, spray tans, acrylic nails, full makeup, and hairpieces. I felt that the pageant was not exactly fair; young girls should not look like they are twenty when they are maybe ten years old. I knew that I would not place compared to the way the other girls looked and it really let me down.
Adolescence... a time of seemingly more freedom, junior high to high school, football games, dances, parties, going out for pizza, dating, driving, a later curfew, going to the mall, and talking on the phone almost non stop. Many mothers rarely see their daughters during these times. With all the time she begins to spend with her friends, it seems as if the major issues constantly being discussed are bedtimes, clothing and chores. #Girls are growing up and it may seem as if their mothers are being needed less, but they are needed, just in a different way. When I was beginning to enter adolescence, I wasn’t completely separated from my mother, but I could feel it was beginning to happen. My sister Erin, who is now 21 felt the same way. #“When I was younger, between 14-18 I separated form my mother and it almost felt like I was completely separated from her.” Even though girls may feel like they are farther away from their mothers that they could ever get, it is not the end of the world. Most girls are close to their mothers when they are young, and many return to that closeness as adults. But few girls manage to stay close to their mothers during junior high and high school. I have realized that before I entered into high school, my mother and I had a close relationship. I was the exception of most girls my age and many of them seemed jealou...
...yles and be up on fashion, does it really seem worth it to risk getting simply an "ok" education? Where are those priorities of school work and studying for a test when you are out shopping at the mall? In the end it really does make the most sense to simply suck up the idea of wearing the same thing as every other girl or boy at your school and leave with a better education, and a better sense of seeing people for what and who they really are; not what they are or aren’t wearing. Imagining the idea of a school that one does not have to worry about what kids will say about their outfits, about whether or not what they are wearing is appropriate for school grounds or getting to the mall after school to buy that new sweater they saw in the A&F catalogue (which means blowing off that tutoring secession they had to help raise their math grade), seems so far from reality and all that I knew in high school, yet at the same time seems like the ideal way to spend those four important years of high school, those four years in which all of your hard work pays off and gets you accepted into the number one college of your choice. That sounds like the perfect four years of high school to me.
In my formative years, I am sad to admit that I was the most critical of my mother. We suffered from what experts would identify as ‘mutual incomprehensibility’, and I believe at times we still do; however, as I grow more and more into woman hood and our bond has been strengthened with experience, I have had the amazing opportunity to gain a true sense of my mother and have come to admire her in many ways ( though she probably doesn 't believe me). For whatever reason, I once found solace in reducing all my problems as some fault of my mother’s inability to prepare me for adulthood. Instead of seeking advice and wisdom, I rebelled! Looking back, I now realize she only wanted to protect me, to help me, but as a teen that felt like control
I bought a unicorn suit pajama and a random witch’s hat, that I didn’t wear. Then my friend and I went to the check out and we waltzed on over to the bathroom so I could change into my new outfit. As soon as I walked out of the bathroom I got weird looks. People were rather distracted by the way I was dressed. I had a cashier that I knew from high school, she’s in my grade, say something like, “Did you just change into that?” I said,
There are over seven billion people on earth and every single one looks different. No matter how much people say that being different is unique, they are wrong. Society has set a beauty standard, with the help of the media and celebrities, that makes people question their looks. This standard is just a definition of what society considers being “beautiful.” This idea is one that mostly everyone knows about and can relate to. No one on this planet is exactly the same, but people still feel the need to meet this standard. Everyone has two sides to them; there is the one that says “you are perfect just the way you are”, while the other side puts you down and you tell yourself “I have to change, I have to fit in.” There is always going to be that side that cares and the one that doesn’t.
What I never managed to realize was that a growing girl needs her mother more than she needs anything else in the world. I spent about two and a half years rejecting the idea that I needed anyone. My mind was made up and I could take care of anything that came my way with no hesitation. I quickly regretted the decision to disregard my mother for who she is and the role she played in my life. Young girls go through a lot, especially during their pre-teen years. When I reached this certain mark in my childhood I did not react as well as I should