Then...
- 11 years old
- New Berlin, Wisconsin
Now...
- 35 years old
- Madison, Wisconsin
- Web Communications Manager
My Story...
My mom says she tried to talk me out of it, but I insisted on wearing this sweater with the big buttons on it for my 6th grade school photo. I was very unpopular in middle school and dealt with a lot of female bullying before anyone was really doing anything about it. It was a rough few years and I carried a lot of emotional baggage from it for a long time.
Last year my grade school class had a 20th reunion. I was on the fence about whether or not to go. I dreaded seeing a lot of my classmates. A friend who had the same hesitations and I decided to go and support each other. Lo and behold, NONE of the unfriendly people were there. I had a great time, and found out that I wasn’t the only one who had felt awkward and unlovable in middle school (go figure!) It helped put closure on those years for me. Now when I look at this picture, I know that mine might have been a teensy bit more awkward than others, but *everyone* had an awkward phase.