"Little Women"

When I was growing up, I played with Barbies, Bratz, and Polly Pockets all the time. I remembered wanting to have the same outfits as they did, but I can't recall ever wanting to look exactly like my dolls. I certainly never felt that I was ugly because my body wasn't shaped like my dolls'. I guess I figured I was still a kid and my body would one day become more "womanly". My parents blocked off a few violent or adult channels, but I was sometimes allowed to watch their TV shows with them, probably because they could explain any explicit behavior to me. I was never not allowed to buy a toy because it was too "scandalous." When I was 11, I started watching MTV, which was when I first saw scimpy outfits, plastic surgery, and sex on TV. I did begin to notice my body more, and I'm sure I was concerned that I would never develop curves like the girls on TV had, but I don't ever remember hating my body. I started wearing makeup in seventh grade and I started caring about the clothes I wore. Even though I was exposed to some pretty trashy TV shows, I tried to maintain my self-respect. When I entered high school, I became more relaxed about my appearence. Because Mount is all-girls, I don't fix my hair (or even brush it) in the mornings, and I don't wear makeup like I did in grade school. I still get dressed up on the weekends, but I'm very comfortable with the boys and girls I hang out with. I've never been on a diet or worked out extensively to lose weight. I've learned to ignore ads of pin-thin girls dressed like prostitutes and wear only clothes that I feel comfortable in.