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The Skirt MAG

March 8, 2008
By EmilytheAuthor DIAMOND, St. Francisville, Louisiana
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EmilytheAuthor DIAMOND, St. Francisville, Louisiana
55 articles 20 photos 10 comments

Favorite Quote:
Be who you are and say what you feel because those that mind don't matter, and those that matter don't mind. -dr. seuss

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I will be the first to say that I am not materialistic. My friends label me as a goody-goody; my parents say I am conservative and modest when it comes to clothes. I don’t wear bikinis, and none of my skirts or shorts end above my knees. That is my choice.

So why, why did I feel so tempted? My family and I were in Target, and there it was, waiting. A skirt, specifically designed not to cover anything. It was tan and looked like something one of those anime schoolgirls would wear.

I checked my purse. The skirt cost $10. I had the money. I could buy it. I imagined walking into school and my pals’ jaws dropping. Guys would ask me out, and I would be happy. I could buy it – no, I should buy it.

I showed my mother. She was surprised but said it was my decision. My sister looked on enviously.

I went into the dressing room to try it on. So sure was I that this skirt would change me, somehow make me not what I am but what I wished to be. I slid my jeans off and put it on. Now for the decisive moment. I looked in the mirror. There I was – a geeky girl in a Superman T-shirt and sneakers. My glasses fogged up as I started to cry.

The skirt did not change me. Though it fit well and might make me look good in the eyes of ­today’s world, it was not me. I am not a girl who flirts or wears cool clothes to fit in.

I took the thing off and slid back into the ­comfort of modesty. My mom knocked on the door. “Emily, are you okay?”

I wiped away my tears. “I’m fine.” I looked in the ­mirror again and saw a blond skinny girl with dorky ­glasses and a ponytail. I saw myself.

© Marisa S., Alexandria, VA

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This article has 341 comments.

Nicolette4455 BRONZE said...
on Mar. 16 2014 at 10:11 pm
Nicolette4455 BRONZE, Tappan, New York
2 articles 0 photos 14 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone, just remember that all people in this world haven't had the advantages you've had." - F. Scott Fitzgerald

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The idealization of clothing, and how one believes it is going to make them somehow better is so relatable. I absolutely love the line: "So sure was I that this skirt would change me, somehow make me not what I am but what I wished to be."  I hope you know you are beautiful, and not for your appearance, but for your words.
robininthesky said...
on Mar. 13 2014 at 5:21 pm
This is a really great article. That being said, I hate it when people tell you to "be yourself." You get to decide who to be, and therefore whoever you are is yourself. The way you act is yourself. Wearing a short skirt won't change that. This article has a good message, which, as a fellow geeky girl, I appreciate, but wearing a short skirt does not mean that you aren't being true to yourself.
Its bakhtawar (: said...
on Mar. 7 2014 at 6:42 am
Aww . C'mon be yourself . Have your own simple and different personality . Cheers (;
ramfthomas4 PLATINUM said...
on Feb. 28 2014 at 9:37 pm
ramfthomas4 PLATINUM, South Bend, Indiana
26 articles 1 photo 98 comments

Favorite Quote:
&ldquo;If the present world go astray, the cause is in you, in you it is to be sought.&rdquo; <br /> ― Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy

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This happens to me.  ALL.  THE.  TIME. You'd think I would learn...
Seller_of_Purple SILVER said...
on Feb. 19 2014 at 11:55 am
Seller_of_Purple SILVER, North Smithfield, Rhode Island
8 articles 6 photos 7 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Smile; it makes people wonder what you&#039;re thinking&quot;

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"Be yourself - everyone else is taken" :)
Silent_Angel BRONZE said...
on Feb. 3 2014 at 4:37 pm
Silent_Angel BRONZE, Toledo, Ohio
1 article 0 photos 4 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;To think while writing is folly, the mind is too clouded with idiots! When these words were written, they were with my heart, not my mind.&quot; Author, me.

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"Being something you aren't is the ugliest thing you can be"
shykk.shykk said...
on Jan. 19 2014 at 6:57 pm
..'yeahh.being you is better than pretending.. you don't need to change your ways to impress the people who just like and appreciate the outer appearence.. :)
Blizzard BRONZE said...
on Jan. 16 2014 at 9:16 pm
Blizzard BRONZE, Reed Point, Montana
2 articles 0 photos 2 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Be courteous to all, but intimate with a few and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence.&quot; -George Washington

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Amazing!! Every girl needs to read this!  
shaw74 BRONZE said...
on Jan. 16 2014 at 7:55 am
shaw74 BRONZE, Orlando, Florida
4 articles 0 photos 11 comments

Favorite Quote:
&ldquo;Run when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must; just never give up.&rdquo; <br /> ― Dean Karnazes

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I like your story. Always be yourself and don't change for anybody.
Hinako_Ichikawa said...
on Jan. 9 2014 at 11:32 am
I think the all schoolgirl in high school interest in fashion and how I am looked by other person and it is common over the world. I like go shopping and buy clothes.We must study but I think to interest in fashoin and improve myself as a woman. So I think you had a special good experience.
hannaj15 SILVER said...
on Nov. 5 2013 at 10:53 pm
hannaj15 SILVER, Kennerdell, Pennsylvania
7 articles 0 photos 12 comments
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Your self seems to be pretty awesome!
AsphyxiaBellum BRONZE said...
on Oct. 23 2013 at 11:58 am
AsphyxiaBellum BRONZE, Miami, Florida
1 article 2 photos 7 comments

Favorite Quote:
Don&#039;t get mad, get even.

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I've been in this same situation, and the message you portray is just awesome. =w=
awesomeyyy said...
on Sep. 22 2013 at 12:36 pm
awesomeyyy, Pequannock, New Jersey
0 articles 0 photos 9 comments
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This is very true, all lot of girls go through this. I'm glad you finally found yourself in the end. :)
Aki Hana ryuumora said...
on Sep. 18 2013 at 12:27 pm
That's what I call taking in your apperience and accepting yourself for who you are and not caring what others think. That's positive thinking.
ShatteredHeArT SILVER said...
on Sep. 12 2013 at 5:44 pm
ShatteredHeArT SILVER, Americus, Georgia
9 articles 0 photos 34 comments

Favorite Quote:
LIFE offers us choices and forces us to live with the consequences of our decisions.

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that is one thing i agree with
Merla said...
on Sep. 11 2013 at 9:48 am
Merla, Reykjavík, Other
0 articles 0 photos 6 comments
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I really appreciate this article, it’s fresh and much needed in today’s society. I think so many girls are sick of those movies where the “geek girl” gets a makeover, becomes super pretty and oh my God, super popular and all the boys like her and ewwwww, all of that stuff. This shows that is just not true. We can’t change ourselves with changing our clothes, and we really don’t have to! Short skirts can’t be cooler than being yourself.  
birtas said...
on Sep. 11 2013 at 9:40 am
birtas, Reykjavík, Other
0 articles 0 photos 5 comments
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I really liked your story. It was really inspiring and can help other people to realize that you can´t be something you’re not. There are too many people out not being themselves and trying to be what other people want them to be. Good job!
MayaInk BRONZE said...
on Aug. 27 2013 at 11:53 pm
MayaInk BRONZE, Boulder, Colorado
1 article 0 photos 4 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.&quot; Ernest Hemingway

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This is absolutely amazing!
laurenevansok SILVER said...
on Aug. 9 2013 at 6:46 am
laurenevansok SILVER, Bromborough, Other
6 articles 0 photos 40 comments

Favorite Quote:
&#039;One person&#039;s &quot;annoying&quot; is another person&#039;s &quot;inspiring and heroic&quot;&#039; - Leslie Knope (Parks and Recreation)

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I loved this! Simple, yet fantastic.
Joele12 said...
on Aug. 8 2013 at 6:25 pm
Joele12, Orlando, Florida
0 articles 0 photos 9 comments

Favorite Quote:
I am like the wind, whom none can tell from whence it comes or where it goes. -One Night With the King (taken from John 3:8)

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LOVE IT!!  be yourself but sometimes when the occasion comes is it okay to wear a different hat? (need some advice before school)