Being Me | Teen Ink

Being Me

October 18, 2011
By Smile-And-Wave-Boys. SILVER, Rotherhithe, Other
Smile-And-Wave-Boys. SILVER, Rotherhithe, Other
8 articles 1 photo 38 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Everyone wants to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down."
— Oprah Winfrey


See that girl over there? She’d do anything to fit in. Shame she won’t, no matter how hard she wishes. She sticks out like a sore thumb. Doesn’t stop her trying though.

See that girl over there? The one who’s wearing the exact same clothes as her friends, with the exact same brands? She’s still trying to fit in. She’s slowly fitting the mould, but not completely. Not yet.

See that girl over there? The one who’s wearing the tops with brand names splayed across them and Vans, but looks slightly uncomfortable? It’s almost as if she doesn’t actually like them. But that can’t be the truth. Why would anyone wear clothes they don’t like? What, for the sake of popularity? But then, that girl does want to fit in.

See that girl over there? The one who’s laughing and smiling with her friends, but is an almost imperceptible distance away from them? She’s trying to fit in, but not as much. All those brand clothes are expensive. She sometimes goes for weird tops she can afford, but can’t bring herself to stop wearing her Hollister tops. Not yet.

See that girl over there? The one getting mocked by her friends for renouncing the clothes that meant being popular, but now signifies being a sheep? She’s selling her tops on eBay, and designing tops herself, not choosing to promote somebody else’s brand.

See that girl over there? The one wearing those outlandish t-shirts, bright blue skinny jeans and scuffed inked trainers? Yeah, that’s right, the one who wanted to fit in. The one who was destined to do anything but. Her ‘friends’ aren’t her friends anymore. Apparently, it’s embarrassing to be seen with someone who dresses like a freak. The girl disagrees with that. To her, it’s embarrassing to be someone who dresses like everybody else-to be no more than a follower.

See that girl over there? The one selling t-shirts out of her bagpack? She’s sold 40 already. She was up till 2.AM, painstakingly drawing each design on every one. Not one of them is the same.

See that girl over there? The one getting a compliment on her t-shirts every 2 minutes as she passes people that are wearing them? Her tops are being sold in Urban Outfitters as we speak.

See that girl over there? The one with the slightly amused expression as she watches the group of clones sidle up to her, and act all friendly after nearly 6 months of freezing her out? She listens patiently as the girls tell her all she’s missed, who got with who, who broke up with who. They slip in the latest trend too, hoping she’ll take their subtle advice. They say that it will make her ‘more like them’, as if it were a privilege. The girl gives them a look a mother would give naïve children. She takes off her jacket, and shows them her shirt. It says: ‘COMFORMITY WAS NEVER REALLY MY THING’. And with that, she walks away,



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This article has 24 comments.


on Oct. 25 2011 at 7:48 am
Smile-And-Wave-Boys. SILVER, Rotherhithe, Other
8 articles 1 photo 38 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Everyone wants to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down."
— Oprah Winfrey

Thanks! I will :D

on Oct. 24 2011 at 11:56 pm
RayBaytheDinosaur GOLD, Hampton, South Carolina
18 articles 17 photos 159 comments

Favorite Quote:
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

I love this, its so inspiring =D it really shouldve made the magazine

on Oct. 22 2011 at 12:59 pm
You definitely earned that editor's choice.  Your structure makes the story very smooth, and your message, of course, is very powerfull as well.  I loved it.

on Oct. 20 2011 at 9:02 pm
Miki-chan BRONZE, Waynesboro, Mississippi
3 articles 0 photos 37 comments

Favorite Quote:
Don't screw with Crazy.

I was always like the last girl in the story when I was in public school. I love this story, so keep on writing!