(JBC) Pg. 140 Shopping for “we-ness”

I can remember back in sixth grade in where there was a change in where the materialistic things we wore and had meant more than who we were. I was never a very fashionable girl, but rather I liked involving myself in sports and being a tomboy. However, there comes a time in where every girl wants to fit in and be a girls-girl. Because I always hung out with guys and played sports with them, I never really found a connection with the girls around me. To me they seemed superficial and not very good friends. Nevertheless, I came to realize I wanted to have more girl-friends. At the time, it seemed like every girl at my school owned a super cute leather handbag in where they kept their Victoria secret lotions and perfumes, stylish wallets, lip glosses. I never owned a Victoria secret perfume or lotion and definitely not any lip glosses. I took this chance of seeing myself as a growing pre-teen to go out and find myself a bag just like theirs. I went out with my mom to find the perfect bag and pack it with girly things just like everyone else. When I went back to school, I took my new bag with me and tried to act like every other girl in my class. My façade of being a girls-girl worked, but I never really felt like I completely fit in. At school I was one person but outside of school I went back to being a tomboy who loved sports. In the end I realized that I didn’t have to go through all that I did just to fit in. In a couple weeks the style changed yet again and something new became popular and demanded and everyone rushed to go get it. However, this time I refrained, knowing it would only serve its purpose for a small amount of time before something else came into the picture.