Twisted Images
Sarah: I am damaged, dirty—no longer pure,
out casted as a slut.
My friends don’t want to be seen
with me. They call me a
prostitute, a skank, a whore.
They say I’ll end up
pregnant, get an STD, and die.
I had sex with my boyfriend,
so I guess that make me a whore.
I thought sex was as normal as talking,
I thought everyone was doing it, but I guess not.
Jenna: I’m at fault. I should have called
my mom for a ride— rather than
walking home—by myself. All I could smell
was the odor of the old man’s musty cigar
as he tossed and held me down.
Holding my mouth shut. Telling me
it’s my fault for walking alone,
for dressing like a whore, for being young
and beautiful. If I had chosen a different path. If I
had jeans on and not a skirt. Maybe,
just maybe I’d be at home studying
right now, instead of lying in a hospital bed
reliving the rape.
Amy: I look at my reflection and I see
the truth. I see the real me:
an overweight, fat, obese pig. I’ll never be
skinny, a model, a cheerleader.
Not at 123 pounds.
150 calories a day—
I make every morsel of food count,
while counting every calorie my body
takes in. Resisting—
Resisting the hunger, resisting the pain
because every day when I weigh myself,
I scan my naked body in the mirror
only to see the ugliness and fatness
staring back at me.
~D. Griff
Response to Poem
Stanza 1- Virginity
Society looks at teenage female sexuality as something negative. For having sex, girls are often called names such as “whores,” “sluts,” and “prostitutes,” etc. Society often pairs a girl’s virginity with her pureness. When a girl loses her virginity, she is no longer considered “pure.” Teenage boys are totally different. They are often looked at in a positive light by others when they lose their virginity, and for having a higher number of sex partners.
Stanza 2- Rape
Often when a girl is raped, excuses are found to suggest why she is at fault. People tend to blame her for walking home alone, dressing a certain way, for being young and beautiful… or because the guy “thought she wanted it.” By educating girls about sex and rape, girls who have experienced sexual assault may place the blame where it should be.
Stanza 3- Eating disorders
Society often relates beauty to weight, size, and youth. Sometimes we are too preoccupied with appearance that other valuable qualities often get ignored. Everyone wants to be slim and beautiful… even if the cost is the individual’s health. Eating disorders are quite common, and they often lead to death. We frequently look to the media to determine beauty. Here are some examples of celebrities’ weights and heights:
Celebrity
|
Height
|
Weight
|
Miley Cyrus
|
5’4
|
104 lbs.
|
Selena Gomez
|
5’5
|
117 lbs.
|
Jennifer Lopez
|
5’6
|
125 lbs.
|
Jennifer Aniston
|
5’6
|
110 lbs.
|
Rihanna
|
5’8
|
126 lbs.
|
Katie Holmes
|
5’9
|
118 lbs.
|
Cameron Diaz
|
5’9
|
120 lbs.
|
Katy Perry
|
5’9
|
123 lbs.
|
Princess Diana
|
5’10
|
130 lbs.
|
Taylor Swift
|
5’11
|
120 lbs.
|
