“TAYLOR”

This piece is based upon a African American girl, age 12

Her main quote: What got me in big trouble was trying to fit in and be popular.

Some of her other quotes:

• I wish the world knew that it is hard to be an adolescent, because I know I’ve been pressured into a lot of things  and grown ups, like, you forget you were a kid at one time too and you stereotype us.  

• I took things from my mom that weren’t mine.  I brought 'em to school to give to my friends and acquaintances to try and get them to like me.  And that’s mostly what got me in trouble with the law. 

• I act like a boy I because I guess boys dress comfortably.  Cause some girls wear shirts so tight that you can barely breath and all them tight skirts—it’s just not me.  Anything that would describe most girls, doesn't describe me.

• I’ve learned not to try and fit in 'cause it won’t get you anywhere.  Maybe it’ll get you in trouble, like it got me.  But if you try to fit in—well actually if you don’t try and fit in, you’ll fit in more because there’ll be plenty of people trying to fit in, they’ll finally give up and that will make a bunch of people not fitting in, you’ll talk to 'em.  They’ll be your friend and you’ll be a lot better off. 

• Popular girls, like, wear sassier clothes and carry purses that go across their chest to make their breasts stick out.  Popularity is not really important to me because I see the more popular girls are getting bad grades—not turning in their homework.  So it’s better to not be popular 'cause if you’re not popular you’re not worried about going to do this with your friends or doing this with your friend.  Instead you should sit down and do a little homework!

• I look up to women who follow their dreams don't  give up.  I think that’s really really cool.

• I would like to lose a little weight–I'm not really where I want to be yet, but I wouldn’t like to be Brittany Spears either.  I know  it really doesn’t matter what you look like, it’s how you feel inside. 

• Yeah, I’ve been on a diet—I didn’t eat lunch.  And I kept that up a little while and I did lose weight...but God gave me this body.  If that’s the way he wants me to be, that’s the way I need to be.

• Guys are superficial 'cause a boy might just walk up to you and if he thinks you're cute he'll say, "Oh will you go out with me? " even though he doesn’t know how you really are. So it’s just, I think the guys go for the looks.

• If you try to fit in at school and end up pregnant people, people don’t appreciate you better—they think of you as a little slut or something.

• And I think more women who have a relationship that’s forced on them or something, they go to the police about it.  And more people speaking out about this issue is really helpful.