You know when you have been anxiously in anticipation for something that turns out to be way less than what you were hoping for? That’s 100% me for all of the 7 months that I have been 16 years old.
All my life, I’ve been dreaming of what it would be like to “come of age” and magically transform into a cool, pretty, more mature version of myself. I imagined all the parties I would attend, all the boys I would date and the expensive car that I would be driving around. Of course at 10 years old, all the chick flicks and teen books that I had taken reading had already brainwashed me into creating unrealistic, ever so appealing expectations for my future.
Expectations that had instantly come toppling down and shriveling away long before my glorious birthday had arrived. Even when I was 14, I realized that I was never going to attain the impossibly high standards that I had set for myself.
Why? I mean, there were plenty of cool, beautiful, and popular girls in Grade 11 and 12 that fit perfectly in the category that I had imagined I would become. So why not me? Well, because those girls were already beautiful and popular to begin with. Those girls already fit into the standard of cool long before they had become teenagers- appearance and personality wise. Me? I would always be an unattractive, self-centered, low middle class Asian girl who everyone just associated with quiet, book smart and a good person to work with in group assignments…because I do all the work.
You could say I have trust issues letting other people take control of my grades. I always feel like they don’t put as much effort into the work as I do. And in a way, I feel like I’d be giving someone else control over my decisions, my ideas and my life. Yep, I definitely have trust issues.
I’m coming off as such a whiny little girl who can’t be appreciative of whatever positive qualities that I have, but you must know that I do know that I am very fortunate for many reasons. There are the obvious ones; I have a roof over my head, food, family and I’m healthy. I have money to afford to do nearly everything my friends and peers can and although I do not consider myself ranking high in the looks department, I am not overweight. Which is actually quite surprising considering how much I eat and how little I exercise.
I’m human. Even if I know in my heart how fortunate I am for all the things that I have, I can’t help longing for more. I always wonder how those girls with the perfect bodies, faces, friends, personalities, and lives could ever wish for more. But they’re human too, and I guess it’s in our nature to see imperfections over what others would see as the complete opposite. I wonder if anyone sees me as someone who has the ideal life, just like I look at all those other girls at my school. I find the idea laughable and yet, I still wonder, Could I be someone who someone looks up to and aspires to be?