No, I Am! | Teen Ink

No, I Am!

June 22, 2012
By elizamc83 GOLD, Concord, Massachusetts
elizamc83 GOLD, Concord, Massachusetts
17 articles 0 photos 84 comments

Favorite Quote:
"From now on, I don't care if my tea leaves spell 'Die, Ron, die,' I'm chucking them in the bin where they belong." -Ron Weasley


“No, you’re prettier.”

“No seriously, you’re so much prettier!”

A single sigh cannot express the irritation growing within me, so I keep my mouth shut and roll my eyes instead. Day after day, lunch after endless lunch, my ears are forced to endure this constant, self-degrading argument–each one of my beautiful friends insisting of their ugliness, and thrusting the burden of beauty on the next victim. As gap-toothed, simple-minded kids morph into the complex masses of hormones called teenagers, arguments become more complicated. Minds evolve and expand, judgements arise, and before you know it, the “me-me-me” whining of your childhood turns into polite-but-sneaky bickers of “you-you-you.” You see, girls are tricky that way. They’ll insist how wonderful, skinny, pretty, and smart you are, but you know they’re waiting for you to scoff maybe a bit over-modestly, denying yourself of any good qualities. And if you accept their praise as true, even with a modest “thanks”, you immediately become known as the conceited one, whose name is carried from whisper to whisper.

Maybe I’m an atypical girl, but I prefer to shoot things straight, you know? None of this backhanded compliment stuff, just saying what you mean and putting it out there. So watching my friends criticize themselves everyday so everyone else could pile on the compliments....it’s getting tiresome.

“Oh my god, you guys, I am soo fat,” says Lauren, a size two at most, while she eats her salad and sips her water.

“No way, you’re so skinny! I’m the fat one,” claims Juliana, lifting her shirt a few inches to reveal a perfectly flat stomach.

“Guys, shut up, you’re both tiny,” sighs Ellie. “I have terrible acne,” she adds, a girl who has maybe one blackhead on a bad day.

And on it goes. On and on, until they reach the territory of “No you’re prettier–no you are!” and I can stand it no longer. Shoving back my chair, I stand up and yell, “No, I am!”

Under all their bewildered stares, I sit down and continue eating while they process what I’ve said. Fully aware that I’ve just broken every girl code in existence, I watch my friends’ shocked reactions in amusement. They exchange those wide-eyed, raised-eyebrow glances, all communicating the same clear message: She did not.

I grin. Oh yes I did.


The author's comments:
This is fiction, but it was inspired by me noticing how much girls around me (sometimes including myself) put themselves down around their friends. It's really not healthy, and I wanted to write about something that never happens in these scenarios. I had a lot of fun writing this, I hope you can relate and enjoy reading it as well!

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This article has 4 comments.


on Jul. 19 2012 at 6:35 pm
EatSleepWrite95 GOLD, Dallastown, Pennsylvania
14 articles 12 photos 31 comments
I love your word choice, it really shows you how she feels. I totally agree with this too, girls are always fishing for compliments!

on Jul. 10 2012 at 6:51 pm
Lol, that was so awesome. And it somewhat true. I loved it!

on Jul. 6 2012 at 9:39 am
Kestrel PLATINUM, Warrenton, Virginia
29 articles 11 photos 189 comments

Favorite Quote:
-There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy. (Shakespeare, Hamlet)

Love this! lol, I hate it how it seems that girls do this constantly. Also, there is a new thing I've noticed; if a girl gives another a compliment, they seem to expect one in return. I even tested this with a few girls, giving them compliments, and without even waiting a beat, they were like "I love your * whatever * too!" >barf< i feel like compliments are so hollow sometimes now.

ebrady BRONZE said...
on Jun. 30 2012 at 1:47 pm
ebrady BRONZE, Concord, Massachusetts
1 article 0 photos 7 comments
SASSY! That sounds a little bit like us.... "IT'S BECAUSE I'M FAT!"