I couldn’t agree more! I say this ALL of the time! Natural is beautiful! Now, I don’t mind makeup or fixing your hair… but when a magazine “fixes” your body, it’s saddening. I studied pro-anorexia in college for an Independent Studies project, and these pictures are one of the things that lead girls down the path of eating disorders or, at the very least, disordered eating.
That’s not very supportive of extreme liberals on this website who care more about their sorority than they believe anybody could imagine. (However, I’m sure we all feel the same bond.) I just wrote an entire entry about how the author was correct, and wasn’t acting entitled as an adult college student. I wouldn’t insult you or other conservatives as it’s inappropriate to bring up politics, especially in a ridiculous and absurd comment. Please have the same consideration.
This is so accurate. Or at least it was for me before I graduated five years ago.
I didn’t grow up in the upper-middle class. We were middle class, but I DEFINITELY had to work to pay for my own stuff. I couldn’t afford manicures, Starbuck’s, and while I had “designer purses,” they were fakes. I only wore clothes from Marshall’s, Ross, and TJ Maxx because that’s all my parents had ever been able to afford.
However, I was treated like an entitled rich snob who looked down upon others. I loved wearing my letters. If they weren’t on my chest, they were on a pin attached to my bag. Hairbands and hairbows? Hell, I’m 28, and I still can’t stop wearing them. The pink didn’t help. And don’t get me started on my daily pearls. I just wore the clothes that I felt comfortable wearing.
The girls that rolled their eyes at me probably spent A LOT more on their outfits than I did.
However, I wouldn’t have been judged for anything had it not been for my sorority affiliation. Students in my classes made snide comments to me, which I began to get used to. However, teachers began to do the same. How sickening is that?
All of this time, I had worked hard in order to be who I was as a person. (And my sorority helped me achieve that!) But I never realized that people who didn’t prefer the same clothing choices as I did would care… because I never cared about what they wore. I always thought that everybody should follow how they felt. It was incredibly hurtful for me. (Granted, I’m extremely sensitive, but how they were treating me WAS wrong.)
The author is NOT acting entitled. She worked hard just the same way I did. I may not have grown up with any money, but she experienced the exact same things that I did, despite the fact that she likely had some more privileges when she was young. But she isn’t young anymore, and she seems like she’s taking care of herself much better than most people. And it is obviously clear to her that people were judging her. It’s not that difficult to figure out.
I, like you, would have loved to cross that imaginary threshold and become friends with others. Just like in your experience, they were the ones who were unwilling. They simply weren’t open.
Luckily, I had my sisters to count on. They loved me from where I came from, who I was, and who I wanted to be. They made me stronger. So, in the end, if I had to choose between a smooth college experience or one in which I was judged every single minute, but I had my sisters, I’d choose to be judged… without any thought whatsoever.
Unfortunately, that’s one thing these girls will never understand: the true and everlasting bond of sisterhood. They may have taken away my self-esteem at times, but they never took away my biggest cheerleaders. They could stare upon me as if they were better than me, but they could never take away the extreme strength, courage, and self-confidence that my sisters helped me achieve.
I only wish they had sisters who could do the same for them. Maybe if they had the same strength, courage, and self-confidence I ended up with, they wouldn’t judge those who are different from them.
I couldn’t agree more! I say this ALL of the time! Natural is beautiful! Now, I don’t mind makeup or fixing your hair… but when a magazine “fixes” your body, it’s saddening. I studied pro-anorexia in college for an Independent Studies project, and these pictures are one of the things that lead girls down the path of eating disorders or, at the very least, disordered eating.
That’s not very supportive of extreme liberals on this website who care more about their sorority than they believe anybody could imagine. (However, I’m sure we all feel the same bond.) I just wrote an entire entry about how the author was correct, and wasn’t acting entitled as an adult college student. I wouldn’t insult you or other conservatives as it’s inappropriate to bring up politics, especially in a ridiculous and absurd comment. Please have the same consideration.
This is so accurate. Or at least it was for me before I graduated five years ago.
I didn’t grow up in the upper-middle class. We were middle class, but I DEFINITELY had to work to pay for my own stuff. I couldn’t afford manicures, Starbuck’s, and while I had “designer purses,” they were fakes. I only wore clothes from Marshall’s, Ross, and TJ Maxx because that’s all my parents had ever been able to afford.
However, I was treated like an entitled rich snob who looked down upon others. I loved wearing my letters. If they weren’t on my chest, they were on a pin attached to my bag. Hairbands and hairbows? Hell, I’m 28, and I still can’t stop wearing them. The pink didn’t help. And don’t get me started on my daily pearls. I just wore the clothes that I felt comfortable wearing.
The girls that rolled their eyes at me probably spent A LOT more on their outfits than I did.
However, I wouldn’t have been judged for anything had it not been for my sorority affiliation. Students in my classes made snide comments to me, which I began to get used to. However, teachers began to do the same. How sickening is that?
All of this time, I had worked hard in order to be who I was as a person. (And my sorority helped me achieve that!) But I never realized that people who didn’t prefer the same clothing choices as I did would care… because I never cared about what they wore. I always thought that everybody should follow how they felt. It was incredibly hurtful for me. (Granted, I’m extremely sensitive, but how they were treating me WAS wrong.)
The author is NOT acting entitled. She worked hard just the same way I did. I may not have grown up with any money, but she experienced the exact same things that I did, despite the fact that she likely had some more privileges when she was young. But she isn’t young anymore, and she seems like she’s taking care of herself much better than most people. And it is obviously clear to her that people were judging her. It’s not that difficult to figure out.
I, like you, would have loved to cross that imaginary threshold and become friends with others. Just like in your experience, they were the ones who were unwilling. They simply weren’t open.
Luckily, I had my sisters to count on. They loved me from where I came from, who I was, and who I wanted to be. They made me stronger. So, in the end, if I had to choose between a smooth college experience or one in which I was judged every single minute, but I had my sisters, I’d choose to be judged… without any thought whatsoever.
Unfortunately, that’s one thing these girls will never understand: the true and everlasting bond of sisterhood. They may have taken away my self-esteem at times, but they never took away my biggest cheerleaders. They could stare upon me as if they were better than me, but they could never take away the extreme strength, courage, and self-confidence that my sisters helped me achieve.
I only wish they had sisters who could do the same for them. Maybe if they had the same strength, courage, and self-confidence I ended up with, they wouldn’t judge those who are different from them.
Amazing article. It needed to be said.