I’ve been through a bunch of different phases—hippie, metalhead, grunge, riot grrrl, goth—and I’ve been obsessed with Stephen King books, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Tim Burton movies, soap operas like One Life to Live, and Chicago Blackhawks hockey. There were times when my disparate interests made me feel like a fraud, but I’ve come to honor the many different parts of myself and acknowledge how much fuller my life has been because I’ve drawn inspiration from varied sources.
As much as I’ve been shaped by the pop culture I’ve adored, though, the people around me have been my greatest influences—and I’m not just talking about my best friends. There have been girls in my life who introduced me to key things I loved or elements of myself, or just gave me permission to be someone I wanted or needed to be at the time. Some of them I only hung out with briefly, and in a couple cases, I barely knew them at all, but I wouldn’t be who I am without them. Maybe girls like them live in your heart, too. —Stephanie
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“There were times when my disparate interests made me feel like a fraud, but I’ve come to honor the many different parts of myself and acknowledge how much fuller my life has been because I’ve drawn inspiration from varied sources.”
This line speaks to me so much, because I have a lot of different sides. I notice it all the time when I talk about my “geeky” interests, like doctor who, harry potter, firefly etc, and people would, you know, call me a fake fan because I was also interested in pop culture and taylor swift and nirvana.
It’s nice to know I’m not alone. Thanks, my multi-faceted friend. <3
i love this!!
tinyghostkid.blogspot.com
i adore this– it’s so cool to acknowledge all the people who have made us who we are. and also, though more embarrassing, it’s amazing to acknowledge all of the people we have been and how that’s contributed to who we currently are.
claire
I really love this, so much!
thus is so cool and so true. there have been so many amazing girls i’ve admired and looked up to. it’s a really special thing when you meet someone who you feel lucky to know, and who inspires you to be a better and more genuine person.
I love this so much! I aspire to be all these girls in one :)
In a world full of role models that are far away from us (whether they are celebrities, online personalities, or even friends you find online), it’s always an incredible thing to find a role model your age who is close to you. This shows us how we can all be role models!! Just have to be yourself and stay true to it, and then maybe someone will look up to you and you might not even know it!
All the different people in our lives can be so inspiring, and all the phases we go through may just shape one being when we grow up. Or maybe we’ll just continue going through phases for the rest of our lives. I know my life philosophies are always changing,
I feel like I want to be one of those interesting people like each of those described in this comic. I want to be someone different, someone who does what they do just because.
-M
This is such a great post!
I really love this. I think we all have more than just one side, and it’s amazing how some friendships can help us to look at the world in another way. I met some girls that really inspired me. I usually was inspired by famous girls, but it’s incredible to see how another girl that you see everyday (on school or in your neighborhood), can help you to grow.