Hi, everyone.
I'm a teenaged girl. I'm not arrogant enough to think that I know much about the world. I'm 18, a freshman in college, and I struggle every day trying to see into the future: into what might be, where I might go. Recently I've decided that my destiny in life is to be a high-school biology teacher, but ask me again later and perhaps that will have changed.
One thing I feel passionate about is body modification. Somehow my standards of beauty have developed in a way that put piercings, tattoos, implants and scarification at the forefront. However, my parents have threatened to cut off their funding for my education if I modify myself in any way. I already have piercings, and though my family will never see them due to their private locations, I would love to be able to share this important part of my life with them and express myself through modification in a more public way. Essentially, they have rejected my lifestyle, and through this, they have pushed me away.
What I'm trying to say is: Don't let your standards of beauty bully someone else's into a corner. Don't judge people based on their standards of beauty. Shaming what someone finds beautiful, putting down what is truly important to them, can really undermine their happiness and their willingness to share any part of their life with you, so don't lose people because they think that full-body tattoos are wonderful and you find the idea nauseating or stupid.
Questions for you all: What advice would you give your 18-year-old self? Who is your favorite musical artist of all time? What do you love? What advice would you give to a young girl who wants to find love? Reply to me, if you like (I made an address just to field these, so I better get a few).
Advice for you all: Look up "futureme" and write yourself a letter. You write an email and then choose when you want it delivered to yourself. I receive emails from my past all the time, and it's alternately sweet and heartbreaking to get these tidbits from years past.
All the love,
Erin
[email protected]
Washington, DC