SO SAD

My freshmen year of high school is one I'll never forget. It was the first time I was comfortable enough to dress like a girl (tastefully, of course) and confident enough to be out there and not care if all eyes were on me. My freshmen year was also the year I found the boyfriend I'm with now, still going strong after two years. Even though I'd love to tell the story of my life, this particular story isn't about me. This story is about another person's freshman year. I'll call her Gina.

Gina was not only a beautiful girl, she was also very smart, well spoken, proper, had good manners and most importantly didn't worry about boys. Unfortunately, that all ended after junior high school. She was the same person, but her appearance and attitude towards boys changed. Unlike me, Gina felt like the only way to get a man was to dress provocatively. Sick of being the only girl without a boyfriend (so she thought), she began throwing herself at guys left and right, innocently thinking, "If this is what it takes to get a man, then this is what I'll do." Instead of being the friend I know I should have been, and telling her the honest truth about her appearance, I took pity on her. I told her "its okay.maybe it just wasn't the right guy," all the while I was quietly blaming myself. Gina probably figured that I got a boyfriend because of what I looked like, instead of who I was.
Near the end of the year, Gina came up to me crying. I was startled as well as confused. After a few moments of her crying on my shoulder, I asked her what was wrong. With her eyes red and tears gliding down her cheeks, she began to try and cough up the lump that had formed in her throat. "A guy said I was ugly!" is all she got out before the tidal waves of tears and out cries began once more. Upset at the guy and myself for not being more understanding and available to her, I began screaming and pacing around. I exploded at her saying: "What do you expect? Look at yourself, it's gross. You keep saying, this is what men want, but obviously they don't, because you still don't have a boyfriend! I'd think you were ugly too, if you walked around thinking you were all that, when you look like a women from Miracle Mile!"

Since then, I'd like to tell you that she changed, but in fact she got worse. She doesn't come to me when she has a problem anymore; instead she just thinks the men are wrong. Looking back on this story, I realize there are so many better ways I could have gone about the situation. I just don't understand why girls feel the path Gina took is the right one. I know there are a lot of answers, but none of those answers are personal. It's just so sad that nobody tells girls the ways they think are wrong.

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