When I was thirteen, I started high school with a brace on my back and clothes two sizes too big to disguise what I referred to as the "plastic corset". It was nothing more than a torture chamber; it burned... it chafed my sides... it was awful. I walked awkwardly, resembling the gait of a chicken as I ambled by cafeteria tables of guys who would mimic the clucking of chickens. It was a dark time in my life. It was definitely not the introduction to high school that I had always dreamed of. I envied the girl whose brace was the full-body kind because at least people knew why she had a rectangular body; although my brace was hidden, it made me feel conspicuous. The first half of freshman year was a "silent" year for me as I tried to be invisible. Joining theater saved me; it allowed me to slip from my identity and become someone I was more comfortable being... and I didn't have to wear my brace on stage!
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Posted by Mindy at 4:57 PM
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4 comments:
Mindy i wanted to thank you for sharing your story and applaud u for making it through. being thirteen and awkward is hard enough without adding a back brace into the mix. i too was made fun of throughout my teenage years and i know how that can effect a person. i hope that it has inspired you to be a better person and i am eager to hear more about your story and how it has an impact on your opinions in this class.
Hey there Mindy,
As Kayla wrote above, I truly appreciate you sharing your story. High school really was a jungle, at least when I was there. You must be an exceptionally strong person to have encountered such horrible circumstances and made it through. Tolerance seems to be such an issue with teens. It's as if anything that is alien must be bad. I hope we discuss some of those issues in class.
Mindy-
It is wonderful you found theater, everyone needs something to get them through tough times (and to me, this sounded a little tough). Did a teacher recommend this class? I always found there was at least one teacher that always had insight into particular students.
I loved your story about your backbrace! It was sad, but it was nice to see that you did get the happy ending you wanted through theater. It's crazy how one thing that's supposed to help us can make us feel so abnormal from everyone else.
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