Beautiful - Christina Aguilera

Thursdays are always the religious assemblies at Marsden. There's a set structure to them. First a year 13 reads out the reading. Then our Chaplin explains what it means and finally we sing 'some' hymn. Recently they've been about Joseph and the Technicolour dream coat which we are doing a production of at school. It sounds ridiculous to give you a taste. It includes Lucy S doing the splits (I doubt she has ever done them in her life), Enakshi on a tricycle (I think that explains itself) and finally Steph asleep on swiss balls (is this because of the recession was a real bed too expensive?)

Today we were told that yet another guest speaker was going to talk to us about Joseph from a different angle. The only thing she really said was that Joseph had different phases of his life which corresponded to the clothes that he wore. And how she loved clothes and blah de bla....then I sneezed. As I do. Because of my hay fever I do sneeze a lot. But today I was sitting in like the third row sans most of the year 12's in amongst the year 7's. So I was close to the speaker. She did something which changed the magnitude of my sneeze. She said 'bless you' I swear the whole school swizzled in their seats to look at me. 'Twas unique.

Then something happened which shocked me and I'm sure it shocked every other person in the room too. The woman started talking about body disorders and girls who aren't happy with the way they look. She asked who isn't happy with the way they look? So many year 7's raised their hands. It's disgusting to think what the media has done to these girls. I mean 11 years old. That's too young to be thinking about your image. I can bring in my FFOTD from a while back here 80% of 10 year olds in the US have been on a diet. Its shocking. It's terrible. It's depressing.

Then she asked who thinks that they are beautiful? One year 7 proudly whacked her hand up in the air (somehow I think this was a bit more about getting some attention than actually believing what she was meant to be). I looked around at the girls who I think are the prettiest. Long legs, acne free skin, perfectly styled hair yet they're not happy they don't think that they're pretty. I think that every woman should feel that confidence. Oh my now I'm starting to sound like a dove ad or a nivea ad (which btdub really annoys me because the woman in it is so not ordinary). The one thing that really struck me from what the woman said to us was some quote (can't remember it exactly) that went like my body lets me run, horse ride and function and that's all that matters. Really that is all that matters. Why are these girls so obsessed with how they look that they starve themselves. They hurt their body and defeat it's essential purpose. I love my body it works. Why doesn't anyone else?

Invisibility of all the superpowers it's the one that I would like the least it would be more of a curse. People walking right past you. Worse than ignoring you because to ignore you they first have to know that you are there. I had a sensation of invisibility today. She looked right through me. I don't stand out. I just kinda fade into the background. It's like I remember my sister saying. Mrs Eadie would always say hello to friend A because she was an A student then she would always say hello to friend B because she was a rebel. Then she would leave my sister. Thats how I today I was there but no one seemed to register that. I wish there was some way for me to stand out so that I'm known, I'm seen and I don't just fade into the background. I want to be noticed (I know that sounds really lame and this will probably reflect badly on me but meh I stick with what I said I don't want o be invisible. Lets whack in a no offence just in case some one happens to be offended, which you shouldn't be....


Final thought: Do you ever feel that you're on auto-pilot?