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Redefining Beauty for Myself
by Daleelah Saleh
In elementary school, my brother and I were too young to be left home alone, so my mother took us with her to her weekly Weight Watchers meetings. I spent my Sundays sitting cross-legged in a carpeted room with large windows and posters on the wall encouraging weight loss and healthier eating.
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How I Rejected What Others Think Girls Should Be
by Lisbeth Martinez
I grew up in the Dominican Republic. When I was in middle school, a group of girls wouldn’t play with me because they said I was ugly. “You look different and like a monkey,” one said. Most of the girls in my class were light-skinned with long straight hair, while my skin is dark and my hair is free with curls.
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Overcoming Bulimia
by Anonymous
Names have been changed. All my life, I was a big girl. Food was my best friend when I was young. I wanted to eat everything. I was attracted to the smell when my mom or older sister Gina would cook.
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Smut Page Survivor
by Destiny Smith
Names have been changed. One day I was in school, on my way from math class to lunch, when I saw a group of students hovering quietly over something. Curious, I made my way to the front of the circle so that I could see what was fascinating everybody.
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Why I’m Still a Virgin
by T.B.
The names in this story have been changed. In junior high school, a small group of my friends, mostly guys and one girl, started talking about girls in the class who they thought were fast. “I can tell Melinda is a tramp.
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A Short Cut to Independence
by Anita Chikkatur
For years, I needed my mom’s help to twist my long, thick hair, which fell nearly halfway down my back, into a braid or even a ponytail. I hated that morning ritual because it made me feel helpless. I hated the long hours it took to wash and dry my hair.