What I Wish I Knew In Middle School
1. Popularity really does not matter.
Linsey. Be yourself. Find yourself. Figure out who you are, what you like, and do what you want to do. Stop trying to fit in by wearing the expensive clothes, wearing terrible eyeshadow or having the latest Etnies. You do not need to spend hours on the phone dishing out the latest gossip on XXXX to try and get people to like you. Don't go to the "popular" kids party because you will end up doing something stupid and be made fun of all week. Later on, you're going to embrace the fact that you're weird and quirky and the people who really matter will love you. Knowing this would have saved a lot of embarrassment, phone bill overuse charges, and potential friendships.
2. No, you don't need those Abercrombie and Hollister shirts.
Haha. No you don't. Stop asking your grandma to spend $40 on a shirt that everyone else has. Stop thinking that you're not cool unless you're wearing the double layered polo. Walking into those stores will give you a headache and can potentially aid in giving you breathing problems. 13 year old girls should not be showing off that much leg - let alone that much boob. Please just go to Target. That's where you'll end up shopping anyways.
3. Sublime and Blink 182 will still be cool when you're 28.
Yes. We grew up in the best era of music, no question about it. Every generation says this - but obviously ours was the best. You don't need to blast the same songs on repeat and annoy your grandmother in the car because you'll have plenty of time to listen to this music. If you switch up your music selection, she will be more willing to drive you places. Some of the bands will even launch new albums in 2019, but they won't be the same. So stick to their classics.
4. Myspace is the worst form of social media.
Top 8. Showing off who your best friends of the moment are. Wow, Myspace was mean. "I'm not #1 anymore? I thought we were BFFs? Ok fine. I'll move her to #8 and show her who's boss." This website caused so many unnecessary arguments between me and my friends. Ranking your friends? WHY would we do that? Everyone has different relationships that mean different things - it's entirely unfair to put them in a pecking order. This form of social media helped solidify every teenagers fear of "not being good enough." Let’s be honest, the only cool thing about this website was that you could have a song on repeat. Mine was Wonderwall (Oasis) or Hands Down (Dashboard Confessional) for the majority of my Myspace career.
5. Start a skincare routine.
Teenage acne. It happens to almost everyone, so get a jumpstart on it. Wash your face. Moisturize. Drink water. Stop eating so much sugar. PUT SUNSCREEN ON. Being tan is great and everything, but skin cancer isn't. You're also not going to be the "cool girl" because you're not applying sunscreen. Learn how to use sunless tanner. I really wish I would have learned this earlier because it would have helped prevent a lot of sunburns and saved my skin from a lot of damage.
6. You are beautiful.
No matter what. Everyone grows at different rates so you might be the tallest girl in 6th grade. You might have bigger hips and boobs than the average middle schooler. BUT you have an even bigger heart. Embrace the fact that by the time you reached middle school, you had already overcome a lot in your life. All of those people who are calling you names and making fun of how you look are assholes. They have their own insecurities that they are dealing with and you shouldn't let that bring you down. I know that's easier said than done, but please try and understand that. You are strong. You are brave. You are beautiful.
Being a teenager was hard. Hindsight is 20/20. Shout out to the handful of friends that stuck around since middle school. You're the real MVPs.
xx,
Linsey
