Today's "I would have given anything" guest post is by the lovely Michelle Hodkin, author of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (fall 2011).
When I was in high school, I was her:
But I would have given anything to be like her.
Or her.
Or her.
Or her.
Or her.
Or her.Did those girls exist at my religious Jewish day school? Some yes, some no. There were wild girls. There were sexy girls. There were beautiful girls. And there were perfect girls.
I would have given anything to be any one of them. To have straight hair. To be popular. To have the best style. To have the cool friends. To have an Audrey Hepburn body and a Julia Roberts smile. To have the courage to get pierced and be drawn on with needles and ink. To have the confidence to wear wild clothes and dye my hair a crazy color.
Instead, I was just me. A loner by necessity, not by choice. Quietly rebellious, hopelessly insecure. Fiercely loyal friend to the few genuine ones I did have. And fervently passionate about the issues that mattered to me. With a Marilyn Monroe body, and a less than perfect smile. With brown eyes, brown hair, and only two piercings - one in each ear.
Ten years later, I have more close friends than I can count, and I love seeing them—but I relish my time alone. I am now openly rebellious, but still hopelessly insecure. I am as loyal and passionate as ever. I still don't have any additional piercings or tattoos. My smile still isn't perfect, and my body isn't either.And now, I'm okay with it.
Thanks, Michelle!
Remember, everyone who comments on an "I would have given anything" author post is entered to win:
- a daily swag pack (with signed Like Mandarin postcards, bookmarks, magnets, and signed swag from other authors)
- a copy of Like Mandarin-- signed, annotated AND doodled in! -- given away on Monday, March 21st. Plus swag. Every day you comment counts as another entry for the book!
26 comments:
"I am me and nothing more." I love that.
Beautifully written, Michelle! I always wanted to be noticeable in some way, too, in high school.
Well put, Michelle! :D It's funny how those girls we want to be in high school kind of don't matter when we start to realize that we're better at being ourselves. <3
So well written. Great photo accompaniments, too.
Michelle always has the BEST pictures to go along with her posts and this one is no different. Thanks for this beautiful guest post. Stay you, Michelle. It's the best person you can be :D
Gorgeous post, Michelle. I can remember admiring those same kinds of girls, and I still do! They are wild and beautiful, but more than anything because they do their own thing. Same as you. :)
Beautiful. Love the pictures! There is no woman more beautiful than one who is happy in their own skin.
Fiercely loyal and hopelessly insecure. That's me.
Lovely post and very touching. I must say, I wanted to be like them, too and sometimes I still want to. I'd like to be smart, funny, ironic, beautiful and little bit wild, insted, well, I'm just boring me. SOmetimes it hurts but in the end that's who I am and I cannot pretend to be someone I'm not.
Very well written! I was sort of like that in high school, too. Actually, I still wish I could be more outgoing and adventurous. But i'm just me! :]
Totally agree with this. I am STILL working up the courage to be one of the rebellious ones.
Sometimes I long to be someone different, too. But when it comes down to it, I'm cool with who I am. Great post, Michelle!
This is simply beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing it with us. :) I love all those pictures but my favorite is the first one. <3
emo.hijabi@gmail.com
Shahira
I think a lot of girls can relate to this. I love the quote at the end; it rings SO true. <3
Great post, Michelle! :D (p.s. I am dying for your book. The cover? GORGEOUS.)
Great post. Great use of photos. I love the ending too.
I always wanted to be my older sister! She was a beautiful flirt, with great taste in everything she set her eyes on. Now, I too, am happy just the way I am!
Great post, Michelle! Best of luck with your book, Kirsten!
I love the photos you chose, and I feel like this applies to a lot of people. :] I realy like the "I am me and nothing more."
Fabulous post! Great thinking to live by :)
Vivien
deadtossedwaves at gmail dot com
Those pictures are so vivid. I love it.
Good pictures :) illustrated the point well!
Love that line - I am me and nothing more. Perfect! We need to get comfy within our own skins. :)
Wow. First the pictured wowed me, and then the words ... I could relate to every word.
I've grown comfortable with who I am. But I didn't feel like that in high school!
Michelle's post is so touching. It seems like Michelle and I are similar in many ways. Loner, quietly rebellious, hopelessly insecure, fiercely loyal friend... definitely sounds like me.
These pictures really do tell a thousand words.
kate.readthisbook (at) gmail (dot) com
Thank you so much, this was a beautiful post about becoming confident with oneself.
Val
truthbetold004 at gmail dot com
Truth Be Told Blog
I can't even express how much I love this post. Michelle, you're awesome.
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