The Skirt | Teen Ink

The Skirt MAG

March 8, 2008
By EmilytheAuthor DIAMOND, St. Francisville, Louisiana
EmilytheAuthor DIAMOND, St. Francisville, Louisiana
55 articles 20 photos 10 comments

Favorite Quote:
Be who you are and say what you feel because those that mind don't matter, and those that matter don't mind. -dr. seuss


I will be the first to say that I am not materialistic. My friends label me as a goody-goody; my parents say I am conservative and modest when it comes to clothes. I don’t wear bikinis, and none of my skirts or shorts end above my knees. That is my choice.

So why, why did I feel so tempted? My family and I were in Target, and there it was, waiting. A skirt, specifically designed not to cover anything. It was tan and looked like something one of those anime schoolgirls would wear.

I checked my purse. The skirt cost $10. I had the money. I could buy it. I imagined walking into school and my pals’ jaws dropping. Guys would ask me out, and I would be happy. I could buy it – no, I should buy it.

I showed my mother. She was surprised but said it was my decision. My sister looked on enviously.

I went into the dressing room to try it on. So sure was I that this skirt would change me, somehow make me not what I am but what I wished to be. I slid my jeans off and put it on. Now for the decisive moment. I looked in the mirror. There I was – a geeky girl in a Superman T-shirt and sneakers. My glasses fogged up as I started to cry.

The skirt did not change me. Though it fit well and might make me look good in the eyes of ­today’s world, it was not me. I am not a girl who flirts or wears cool clothes to fit in.

I took the thing off and slid back into the ­comfort of modesty. My mom knocked on the door. “Emily, are you okay?”

I wiped away my tears. “I’m fine.” I looked in the ­mirror again and saw a blond skinny girl with dorky ­glasses and a ponytail. I saw myself.



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This article has 341 comments.


on May. 26 2010 at 5:47 pm
docta_rini SILVER, Detroit, Michigan
6 articles 3 photos 10 comments
i think this is gud!

wolfiemoon said...
on May. 22 2010 at 2:52 pm
If you're not yourself, then who are you? Wonderful article.

on May. 13 2010 at 5:26 pm
good for you. i know a lot of people who wouldnt be in touch with themselves nor brave enough to stay true to themselves. That is one thing i am constantly trying my hardest to do. This is a really good story.

on May. 13 2010 at 2:17 am
StarlightStormcloud, Pasadena, California
0 articles 3 photos 34 comments
I really love the conflicting emotions in this.  I knew a girl once who complimented my shirt and said she wished she could wear something like it.  I asked her why she didn't and she just said, "I'm not there yet."  I didn't really get that at all, wanting something so trivial like an item of clothing, yet knowing you weren't comfortable with it.  This is very insightful - kudos ;)

on May. 4 2010 at 9:58 pm
angel2745 BRONZE, Sacramento, California
3 articles 1 photo 32 comments
Oh my ... well... that's just beautiful. You right there... just wrote me. That gave me everything I needed. I am not kidding... you have just inspired me. That is exactly how I am, how people describe me. I haven't yet chosen to wear a skirt but I am hoping one day I will be able to do something like that... find myself... see myself. Thank you for writing this. :)

ShadowFairy said...
on May. 4 2010 at 5:27 pm
ShadowFairy, Peachtree City, Georgia
0 articles 2 photos 3 comments
I am glad that you chose to write this. Many people can relate to what you wrote, I can certainly relate to this myself. Thank you.  

KonyaB!!! GOLD said...
on May. 4 2010 at 4:54 pm
KonyaB!!! GOLD, Edison, New Jersey
14 articles 0 photos 99 comments

Loved it.

Connectable. VERY connectable. :)

 

 


on May. 4 2010 at 2:38 pm
GracieLynn BRONZE, Chehalis, Washington
3 articles 0 photos 11 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Life isn't about the breaths we take, it's about the moments that take our breath away." -Unknown

i guess what i was trying ot say was be true to yourself. Take it from a girl who wears glasses and my hair is ALWAYS in a ponytail; you were made the way you are for reason. NEVER change that, especially from the world:)

on May. 4 2010 at 2:37 pm
GracieLynn BRONZE, Chehalis, Washington
3 articles 0 photos 11 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Life isn't about the breaths we take, it's about the moments that take our breath away." -Unknown

wow! i can relate to that SOOO much. It's great to see that i'm not the only one who feels like that.

JessieB SILVER said...
on May. 4 2010 at 2:36 pm
JessieB SILVER, Elkton, Maryland
7 articles 1 photo 102 comments

Favorite Quote:
an eye for an eye, and the whole world goes blind~Ghandi

i like this(:

i can really connect with it.


Everhart said...
on May. 4 2010 at 10:18 am
Everhart, Boston, Massachusetts
0 articles 0 photos 29 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I am a fat girl, trapped in a normal girl's body."

Wow. Powerful writing. Brilliant.

on May. 4 2010 at 7:42 am
chartothalatte GOLD, Cleveland Heights, Ohio
10 articles 1 photo 62 comments
wow. i don't know what else to say about this other than wow. its pure power, pure truth. its not me; i wear short skirts, get asked out, and am the opposite of you, and its become me. that used to be me. no, i'm not insecure, i just changed. great article. truest thing i have read in a long while. great piece, emily.

on Apr. 27 2010 at 7:27 pm
mcpanicfanic SILVER, Cincinnati, Ohio
8 articles 0 photos 65 comments
dont conform gurl. stay true to who you are and dont change unless YOU want to.

on Apr. 12 2010 at 6:01 pm
kylec000 BRONZE, Cleveland, Ohio
1 article 0 photos 10 comments

Favorite Quote:
Under the bludgeonings of chance / My head is bloody but unbowed...<br /> I am the master of my fate / I am the captain of my soul<br /> <br /> William Ernest Henly, Invictus

Good job not getting sucked into something that isn't you. It's not what other people think about you, or today's culture; it's what you think and feel about yourself that matters most.     :)

melodeess GOLD said...
on Apr. 12 2010 at 4:21 pm
melodeess GOLD, Edison, New Jersey
18 articles 0 photos 50 comments

this is great :)

you should always stay true to who you are, and you really expressed this in your writing. you go girl- having such great confidence! :] your writing is amazing too!


on Apr. 12 2010 at 3:17 pm
awesomeaugust GOLD, Boston, Massachusetts
10 articles 0 photos 176 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground&quot;<br /> ~Theordore Roosevelt

I really liked this article if for no other reason than it is real. It's really real and raw and even though it ended on a rather sad note, I think it had a pretty positive message. I don't follow the trends that a lot of people seem to think are "in", but I wear mini skirts and I own a shirt from Aeropostale. Yes, the mini skirts might be from the salvation army and, yes, the shirt is a hand-me-down but I still wear them because I think they're cute. And I'm a dork, and so are my friends. I think a lot of the time people make assumptions based on the way others dress, but half of the time they're not true. Anyway, I was just making a point- I love this article and I really hope you continue to write!

on Apr. 5 2010 at 3:48 pm
tennisplayergirl GOLD, Arrington, Virginia
10 articles 0 photos 36 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;He who will not risk cannot win.&quot; John Paul Jones

Love this article! Amazing writing.

on Apr. 1 2010 at 7:09 am
sk8terboi SILVER, Deltona, Florida
5 articles 0 photos 14 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Love is like a rainbow you will never find the end.&quot; I wrote this quote myself.

I love thiss article!! I write about love and I've got one called Linda my first love u should chec it out.

Keep on writing

 


#1 fan said...
on Mar. 21 2010 at 8:48 pm
I am so excited about this story! Just got your book in the mail from Amazon and you are an amazing writer! Your book "Treading Water Today" is AMAZING!

on Mar. 21 2010 at 5:54 pm
Inkspired PLATINUM, Whitby, Other
26 articles 0 photos 493 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;If one will scoff at the study of language, how, save in terms of language, will one scoff?&quot; - Mario Pei<br /> &quot;I write for the same reason I breathe - because if I didn&#039;t, I would die.&quot; Isaac Asimov

You are lucky. I find myself in the position that, on one hand, I don't want to just "fit in" and wear what everyone else is wearing, but be my own person, but every day I worry about what people think, and I just can't do it. Anyways, I loved this, it was really true and real. It made me think again.