Proud Parents of This Great Kid
My mom called me to dinner. I swallowed thickly and emerged from my room, faintly practicing the lines I had prepared. It was the winter of 8th grade, and Christmas music was playing. Feeling light in my chair, as though I was going to fall out of it, I cleared my throat and told my […]
Read MoreRedefining Beauty for Myself
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. Despite not understanding […]
Read MoreHow I Rejected What Others Think Girls Should Be
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 […]
Read MoreOvercoming Bulimia
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. I loved tacos, burgers and fries, chicken nuggets, and sub sandwiches, but a home-cooked […]
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