I spent a lot of time every morning perfecting that bump on top of my head in ninth grade, but could not be bothered to pluck my eyebrows.
I remember that blue top exactly and how I got it from The Gap and it was the top I grabbed if I wanted to look particularly adorable. School picture day was a perfect choice for it.
Ninth grade was the year I pieced together the core group of friends that I’m still lucky enough to be close to. It’s the year I took Washington State History and was paired with one of my best friends to do a presentation about Longview, WA. I know we worked hard on it, but the only thing I remember is something about lumber and maybe apples?
I do remember a girl in that class who showed up with black tears drawn onto her face. When pressed she shared that she was mourning the death of her soul.
It’s the year I felt sucker punched by remarks a teacher once made and it’s the year I got into my first physical altercation with a girl who stole my PE clothes and wore them to school the next day. I didn’t have a boyfriend, but my friends did…a theme that followed my entire high school journey.
I’ve always said it’s crazy how impactful high school years are. You might love them, you might hate them, but I swear we spend only four years attending and then the rest of our lives referencing back to them.
It’s a shame we stop taking official annual photos of ourselves, because school picture day always did produce some of my finest looks. And just look at all the growth that happened! By Senior year I found the tweezers, lost the braces and started shopping in the little boys section at Macy’s…I always leave room for more growth.
Cathy Kennedy says
Kat,
This is the time in a hundred zillion years (or so it seems) for me to join your writing prompt weekly series. I hope this won’t be my last time for a hundred zillion years. Seriously, I only have nine lives to give and I’m purrrty sure I’ve spent eight of them already. :)
What a lovely girl you were in high school, not to say you still aren’t lovely! Ahhh, but you know what I mean…right? I think it’s rather wonderful you had fuller eyebrows in high school. I did the whole over-tweezing thing with very skimpy brows. I hate looking on those earlier years. How could ever think that looked good?
I had my first fight in junior high when the sister of my ex-boyfriend decided to pick on me after a boy on the school bus made fun of her and she blamed me for it. I just happened to be an innocent bystander who giggled at his comments, so naturally, I was an easy target since she knew she couldn’t fight a boy. Yeah, that doesn’t the girls today but back when dinosaurs roamed the earth girls did not fight boys. I held my ground and did not throw the first blow. My parents always told me if someone stricks first to defend myself. I knew what I had to do. It wasn’t my proudest moment but I didn’t let her bully me, either. After a couple of weeks, things went back to normal and we were friends again. Can you imagine how this would play out today? Frankly, it’s a bit scary to think about how twisted and far kids are willing to go today to make a point.
Oh well…it’s great linking up today. Thanks for hosting and have a pAwesome day! ;)
Mama Kat says
SO glad you linked up!! Everyone I knew over plucked eyebrows when I was in high school too. Consider yourself lucky if you graduated with any left at all! ;) And I agree, so much has changed from when we were younger to how kids are today. I hope my kids are never put into the position of having to fight. Ugh!
Kimberly says
Oh the eyebrows. I had to stop trusting myself with tweezers after grade 10. Like why didn’t anyone stop me?! We had uniforms so I think I wore the same damn polo in every photo. Not sure if it was even washed. EW. I met my tribe in grade 10 and I wish we all stuck. I don’t talk to any of them that much any more. You’re very lucky girl. Hang on to them tight.
Mama Kat says
We all should have stopped trusting ourselves with tweezers. My daughter came to me with a razor the other day and was like “I think I messed up my eyebrows.” I was like nooooo! DON’T. TOUCH. THEM! They don’t listen.
John Holton says
Looks like the numbr of participants has grown. I’ve been out here some weeks when I’m the only one here. I’m glad. This is lots of fun.
Hey, you were cute at 15. Gorgeous at 18 (and I swear, you look the same), but still, very cute at 15. I read the stories you linked to. I’ve have gone Batman on that teacher if he said something like that to me. And stealing your gym clothes? That’s just bizarre…
Mama Kat says
I still cringe when I think of that teacher of mine. I heard he went back to the high school I graduated from and is still teaching there to this day. Insert eye roll.
Abby says
Looking good on school picture day was SO important, was it? For me, it was long before digital photos, so we got one shot, better be good. It is funny how we can forget so much but then take a look at those old school photos and suddenly remember the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Your ” started shopping in the little boys section at Macy’s…” cracked me UP!
May says
How in the world can you be the mother of a high schooler and still resemble your photo from senior year so much?! You must be living right!
Kim says
I hate that I missed this week’s Workshop! I was a teenager in the late 80s, so had I chosen this same prompt, there would have been a lot of laughs at my big hair (no matter which high school year photo I shared)!
Your pics are both adorable! I had gotten my braces off my freshman year, and my smile was so big it looked unnatural…..but I wanted to show off my braces-free teeth!