• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.