Fitting In | Teen Ink

Fitting In MAG

By MonicaMS BRONZE, Providence, Rhode Island
MonicaMS BRONZE, Providence, Rhode Island
1 article 0 photos 0 comments

I wouldn't ask for a dressing room. My mom always asked for me.
The evening before I had repeatedly risen from my seat and piled on excess noodles suffocated in meat sauce. Then I licked my bowl with the buttered garlic bread, leaving no evidence of the four servings I had inhaled. In the morning I would be forced to lie on my bed and suck in my stomach just to button my jeans. I dreaded school shopping. The sale rack, with its slender size markers, knew my number continued to bloat.

I learned how to eat from my dad: fast and without thinking. In our house, the dinner table involved battle, with the children on defense. One false move and our dinner would be snatched off our plates without warning and gobbled up by our father faster than we could blink. We soon learned to keep a hand up while devouring our chicken strips, and if Mom decided to cook that night we needed to hurry and get seconds before it was gone.

Only one pair of jeans I tried on fit. I lied and told my mother I could button every pair but only needed the jeans that lay guarded in my hands. We walked to the checkout.

I kept my head down as we passed a group of girls. They whispered. I glanced up only long enough to know my place. Their eyes cut at me, hands cupped over their mouths in secrecy.

***

The recess bell rang and I followed two girls in my third grade class out past the monkey bars to the fenced grassy area. We all wore the same clothes that year: khaki pants and polo shirts. Everyone was the same, or that was the idea.

“I like your pants. Where did you get them?” Marcy asked Alicia. I nodded in agreement, thankful they had removed their cupped hands and I could hear the conversation.

“Really? I like yours better,” Alicia replied.

“We should trade. What size are you?” Marcy asked.

“I don't know …” Alicia said, finding the tag in the back of her pants. “Seven.”

“Me too,” Marcy said.

***

I hid in line as I held the jeans, tag folded in so nobody could see the number inscribed on it was 12. I am not a size seven.



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This article has 349 comments.


on Aug. 4 2010 at 12:59 am
fml.says.it.all SILVER, Spring Lake Park, Minnesota
7 articles 0 photos 11 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Excuses are like BUTT HOLES, they stink and everyone has one." ~Mr.Bogle (my math teacher)

a size 7 is 3rd grade. now that's anorexia if u were a 12 in 3rd grade that's normal. You're not fat. My mom would buy me pants w/o trying them on. She'd be like, "you go up a size each yr until u reach junior sizes then we need to figure out ur size."

so Kindergarten size 6

first grade size 8

and so on...


on Aug. 2 2010 at 8:20 am
this is a good story

cnasty22 said...
on Jul. 25 2010 at 10:20 pm
cnasty22, Saint Peters, Missouri
0 articles 0 photos 1 comment
I feel the exact same way i have been overweight for years and i hate how society puts out this image that we all need to be a double zero. i learned after awhile if people cant accept me for who i am then they arent worth my time. your artical made me connect to exactly what you are trying to say(:

on Jul. 20 2010 at 9:00 am
deus-ex-machina14 BRONZE, Stewartsville, New Jersey
1 article 0 photos 439 comments

Favorite Quote:
"There are two main tragedies in life. One is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it." -Oscar Wilde

DON'T stop writing like this! You could become very popular writing about the struggles of being a young woman, especially self-image because it's a rare case when you find a girl who hasn't had any insecurities about her body. You writing is fantastic:P

Aidyl BRONZE said...
on Jul. 16 2010 at 10:47 am
Aidyl BRONZE, Oshawa, Other
4 articles 0 photos 90 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;If you want a friend be a friend.&quot;<br /> <br /> -Poster<br /> <br /> <br /> &quot;That&#039;s cool. Hey you know what&#039;s even cooler than triceratops? Every other dinosaur that ever existed!&quot;<br /> -Dwight Schrute The Office

sorry, I don't know why that posted twice.

Aidyl BRONZE said...
on Jul. 16 2010 at 10:46 am
Aidyl BRONZE, Oshawa, Other
4 articles 0 photos 90 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;If you want a friend be a friend.&quot;<br /> <br /> -Poster<br /> <br /> <br /> &quot;That&#039;s cool. Hey you know what&#039;s even cooler than triceratops? Every other dinosaur that ever existed!&quot;<br /> -Dwight Schrute The Office

I don't really think the point is that she's big and that it's a bad thing, I think it's that because of the way she looks she feels uncomfortable and has really low self confidence, and that it doesn't need to be that way. It's about how many pressures there are from the media and peers that affect young girls nowadays.

It's not that she's too young and it's her own fault. Which it isn't, little kids can't necessarily change their diet. I don't understand what you mean by "too young" either. That's kind of the point, that even young kids are effected by the media and peer pressure.


on Jul. 14 2010 at 1:53 am
lunar_moon BRONZE, Austin, Texas
4 articles 3 photos 39 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;If you think you can you can, and if you think you can&#039;t, you&#039;re right.&quot; -Mary Kay Ash

You're right. If you look at the author's page, she says that she is in her freshman year of College.

on Jul. 13 2010 at 9:33 pm
Amsterdamsel DIAMOND, Henderson , Nevada
54 articles 2 photos 69 comments
I dont honestly think the author is in third grade.? I think its being told from a younger P.O.V

on Jul. 13 2010 at 9:27 pm
LeAzzurri SILVER, Dulles, Virginia
5 articles 5 photos 8 comments
Great article--short but sweet. As most people have already said, it's very easy to relate to. Nice job!

shocking. GOLD said...
on Jul. 13 2010 at 8:25 pm
shocking. GOLD, West Bloomfield, Michigan
14 articles 0 photos 14 comments
i agree with Rina, some people just cant help at. and with the talk of her father, maybe its genetic...

on Jul. 13 2010 at 6:18 pm
Rina-with-a-k SILVER, Fayetteville, North Carolina
7 articles 0 photos 9 comments

Favorite Quote:
Be the change you wish to see in the world.

Some people can't help that they're big. Some people are still big, even with diet and exercise. I know people like this. I think it's rude that you're saying it's all their fault.

teen_queen said...
on Jul. 13 2010 at 2:33 pm

wow, good job! I mean, I can kind of relate, but I'm super skinny, which is bad. sometimes my mom thinks I might pass out. 

Hey, please check out my story, Love or Drama (It's called Love or Romance but its supposed to be called Love or Drama), also the chapter where Brittney arrives in seattle and meets nikki, matt and kim is chapter 2. The chapter where they all talk about stephanie is chapter 3. TeenInk.com/fiction/romance/article/228711/Love-or-Drama-Chapter-2/.


on Jul. 13 2010 at 1:56 pm
babigerl1194 PLATINUM, Margaretville, New York
23 articles 10 photos 155 comments

Favorite Quote:
wat doesnt kill you only makes you stronger

whoa thats young. but i think you realize why you are the way you are. maybe if you didnt eat so much. its kinda your own fault.... ya know. and you;re young too. im not trying to be mean...

on Jul. 13 2010 at 12:51 am
Lillybear BRONZE, San Diego, California
4 articles 2 photos 8 comments

Favorite Quote:
A hug is like a boomerang - you get it back right away.

Wow that was wonderful. And I really liked it. <3 It was really true.

-Lilly

ohh ps Im 12 :)


on Jul. 12 2010 at 8:40 pm
wicked-crazy SILVER, Henderson, Minnesota
9 articles 5 photos 39 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;If you wait to do things until you know they&#039;re right, you&#039;ll probably never do much of anything.&quot; ~Win Borden

so amazing. I can totally relate, this was awesome.

emigini said...
on Jul. 12 2010 at 12:27 pm
emigini, Irving, Texas
0 articles 0 photos 9 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Love is friendship set on fire.&quot; - Jeremy Taylor

i can totally relate, especially with the age factor. great writing; keep up the good work! 

on Jul. 10 2010 at 1:21 pm
MaliyahP. SILVER, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
9 articles 0 photos 41 comments

Favorite Quote:
There are pirate ships and steam ships but the best ship of all is friendship.

Great job, I like the way you write.  It really makes people think about how hard it is for some to feel comfortable in their own skin, and that making fun of them is just that much harder, keep writing!

on Jul. 2 2010 at 8:19 pm
JacintaT BRONZE, Brisbane, Other
4 articles 0 photos 33 comments
Oh my gosh, I love this. I love how short and simple it is, yet it shows exactly what the writer is thinking. This really got to me, in a good way. Thank you for sharing this with everyone.

on Jun. 27 2010 at 6:27 pm
momentofweakness BRONZE, Ottawa, Other
3 articles 0 photos 8 comments
the fact that the narrator was actually younger than i expected made the theme come across so much more effectively. this was inspiring and wonderful. great job! (:

a.m.f BRONZE said...
on Jun. 22 2010 at 12:51 am
a.m.f BRONZE, Gainesville, Florida
3 articles 12 photos 97 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;God never shuts a door unless he opens another.&quot;

this is really good. i like it. it can really connect with everyone, even if it isn't over the issue of eating and pant sizes.  i really did enjoy this :)

and i know most people (including myself) may get annoyed with people advertising their work, but my new memoir "Gotta Love Support" just got posted, so if anyone has spare time, please look at it! i have a lot of pride in this one and i don't think you'll be disappointed if you read it! thank you so much and good luck to all of you!