Where I'm From

A few weeks ago in English class, our teacher gave us George Ella Lyon's poem "Where I'm From" and asked us to use it as a template to write our own poem. It was almost like a mad lib asking for things like product names, plants, family traditions & tendencies, things you were told as a child, and more. It was so much fun and I was actually pretty pleased with the result.

Where I'm From

I am from library books in brown paper bags, from Lipton sweet iced tea,
and cherry Benadryl.

I am from the long gravel lane, the front porch swing,

and the scent of fresh-mown grass.
I am from the daffodil, the oak, and the tiny hemlock cone.

I am from broomsock and brown eyes,

from Jesse and Annie and Noah.

I am from the hard-headed and spunky,

From Be a lady! and Don’t be sassy!

I am from the Old Rugged Cross,

stiff white bonnets, and long swishing skirts.

I’m from Madison and Big Valley and sweet Georgia peaches,

From moonpies and Christmas fudge,

From Bibles smuggled across the Berlin Wall,

And the preacher at CO camp during the war.

I am from sticky yellow albums, dusty slide trays, and well-worn Bibles,

From patchwork quilts on display on my mother’s wall.

I am a part of them.

They are a part of me.

Like links in a chain

Or limbs on a tree,

We cannot be separated

And still remain whole.

A Dangerous Obsession Part 2

Here's part 2 of my paper on the way women are portrayed in the media and its effect on us. This part is a little more positive since I wanted to focus on how we could be part of the solution to the problem. 

Our sights are set on physical beauty, not health, not inner beauty, nor even on the beauty of others, but on our own narcissistic desire for outward perfection. Little girls are taught from a young age that physical beauty will get you fame, fortune, and an entourage of fans. Audrey Brashich, former teen model, says, "As a culture, we are on a first-name basis with women like Paris Hilton or Nicole Richie. The most celebrated, recognizable women today are famous primarily for being thin and pretty, while women who are actually changing the world remain comparatively invisible" (qtd. in Hellmich). “Today little girls constantly rate the supermodels high on their list of heroes, and most of us know them by their first names alone…Cindy, Elle, Naomi, Iman. Imagine--these women are heroes to little girls, not because of their courage or character or good deeds, but because of their perfect features and poreless skin” (Kilbourne, 60). Our obsession with beauty rewards women who spend hours perfecting their appearance and ignores women who give of themselves tirelessly to others.



The American obsession with beauty may leave us feeling helpless and unable to take a stand for real beauty. What can be done to combat the unrealistic standard of beauty portrayed in the media? The Dove Campaign for Real Beauty has started a trend in using women that are closer to average in their advertising campaigns. Their models are often freckled, wrinkled, or even a little plump. It’s a small step in the right direction. I don’t propose that the media display obese women in their ads. Health should be the deciding factor in portraying models in advertising. If the new standard of beauty would be health, rather than thinness, perhaps young girls would grow up wanting to be strong rather than thin. These are small steps, but small steps that lead in the right direction.


A large step in the right direction could be the realistic portrayal by the media of more women who have shown courage, strength, and intelligence--women who deserve to be called heroes. When little girls want to be like Florence Nightingale or Amelia Earhart rather than Paris Hilton, we will indeed be on the right track. Let’s give our daughters, sisters, and friends heroes worth emulating.


What can the individual do? A good start is to be aware of the problem. Simply being aware that we are all affected by the images we see in media everyday can help us realize the true “normal” that’s around us in the real world. Being aware of the problem is the first step toward the solution.


We can also look for beauty in others. “Statistical analysis reveals that women who are more satisfied with their beauty are significantly more likely than those who are less satisfied to believe that every woman has something about her that is beautiful” (Etcoff et al. 41). It’s a cycle spiraling upward. Finding beauty in others helps us to realize that beauty is as diverse and varied as the human race. This, in turn, helps us realize that we, ourselves, also possess beauty, even if it’s not the perfect beauty portrayed by the media. Seeing beauty in ourselves opens us to seeing beauty in others. When we comment on the beauty we see in others, they feel more beautiful and are able to see the beauty in even more people.


Imagine a world in which every woman knows that she and all women around her were created with a God-given beauty. The image of the ideal beauty perpetuated by the media may make it seem impossible, but we can start with ourselves and with the women around us. Let’s encourage each other to see beauty in everyone. Let’s make our own standard of beauty instead of letting the media dictate what is beautiful. Let’s start our own cycle of beauty that spirals upward and outward, letting every person on earth know that beauty is as diverse as the population of the world, and that strength, courage, and character make a woman far more beautiful than makeup ever will.






Works Cited


Etcoff, Nancy, Susie Orbach, Jennifer Scott, and Heidi D'Agostino. "The Real Truth About Beauty: A Global Report." Dove. Sept. 2004. Web. 14 Apr. 2011. .


Hellmich, Nancy. "Do Thin Models Warp Girls' Body Image?" USA Today. USA Today, 26 Sept. 2006. Web. 20 Apr. 2011. .


Kilbourne, Jean. Deadly Persuasion: Why Women and Girls Must Fight the Addictive Power of Advertising. New York, NY: Free, 1999. Print.


Peeke, MD, MPH, FACP, Pamela. "Just What IS an Average Woman’s Size Anymore? « Everyday Fitness." WebMD. 25 Jan. 2010. Web. 20 Apr. 2011. .


Postrel, Virginia. "The Truth About Beauty." Atlantic Monthly Mar. 2007: 125-27. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 11 Apr. 2011. .


Wolf, Naomi. The Beauty Myth: How Images of Beauty Are Used against Women. New York: Perennial, 2002. Print.