blog ii

“I Once Was Miss America” speaks to me as a young woman, raised in an affluent suburb. I relate in a different way than Gay, though. Gay talks about how she was an outsider, always longing to be like Elizabeth and Jessica and the “Golden Group” of her high school. While I relate to the feeling of being on the outside and wanting to be like the beautiful inner circle, I was on the inside. I had “popular” friends, yet somehow still felt excluded. Kids in high school are mean, regardless of your experience in high school. High schoolers have the capability of being hurtful to people, yet most don’t acknowledge the fact that you shouldn’t hurt others. I relate to Gay in the sense that I looked different than them, and they let me know. People in my hometown are supposed to be tan, blonde, fit, and beautiful. They aren’t supposed to dye their hair pink like I did. Coming home to my hometown is kind of like how Gay read the books that were released when she was an adult: bittersweet. It’s great to feel like you’re at home, but something has changed. You have grown. This piece had me reflect on myself and who I have become, apart from mean high school kids and utopian suburbs.