Translator: Ruby Cadman Reviewer: Denise RQ
I'm going to start my speech off
by reading you a poem titled
"Dear girl in the mirror".
1. Dear girl in the mirror, who are you?
What are you?
Stare, stare, stare.
2. Dear girl in the mirror,
I understand now;
you are me, I am you.
Stare, stare, stare.
3. Dear girl in the mirror,
Mommy and Daddy don't live together anymore.
That's OK though, I'll just play with you.
I mimic you, you mimic me as I make silly faces for you to see,
for me to see.
Stare, stare, stare.
4. Dear girl in the mirror,
Mommy and I have our own apartment now.
Sometimes I get to stay with Daddy.
I don't understand why he's always crying.
I get to look at you in two mirrors,
I get to look at me in two mirrors.
Stare, stare, stare.
5. Dear girl in the mirror,
kindergarten, yay!
Mommy does my hair.
I wear my favorite dress.
You look so pretty, I look so pretty.
Stare, stare, stare.
6. Dear girl in the mirror,
I don't understand why I have to wear a dress to school.
So Mommy buys me pants.
You look cool, I look cool.
Stare, stare, stare.
7. Dear girl in the mirror,
I have a new dad now.
He's super cool.
Mommy picks out an outfit for me to wear to me brand new school.
I guess you look cute, I guess I look cute.
Stare, stare, stare.
8. Dear girl in the mirror,
you got real glasses, I got real glasses.
They're squares that rest perfectly on my face.
You look awesome, I look awesome.
Stare, stare, stare.
9. Dear girl in the mirror,
you cut your hair, I cut my hair.
People start calling me names I don't understand,
my family start's calling me names I don't understand;
butch, mut, mix.
That's OK though,
I don't think they mean anything bad.
You look good, I look good.
Stare, stare, stare.
10. Dear girl in the mirror,
Mommy's starting to get sick after she eats again.
I don't understand
why she eats less than I do.
I don't think much of it.
You don't have as many friends.
School's getting a little harder,
but that's OK
because the friends I have are here to stay.
You look happy, I look happy.
Stare, stare, stare.
11. Dear girl in the mirror,
all of your friends are growing,
they're starting to get breasts and hips,
they're starting to fill out their dresses perfectly.
Why aren't I?
It doesn't matter,
I don't like wearing girl clothes.
I like dressing up like a guy.
You look different, I look different.
Stare, stare, stare.
12. Dear girl in the mirror,
Nana died,
it's going to be hard starting middle school without her here.
You tried dressing more girly today,
but your friend called your thighs jiggly.
I want to hide them.
Your thighs look jiggly, my thighs look jiggly.
Stare, stare, stare.
13. Dear girl in the mirror,
your friends are now old friends,
but your new friends are cool.
One of them is super cute,
but he says he'll never like you because you don't have a butt or boobs.
You look flat, I look flat.
Stare, stare, stare.
14. Dear girl in the mirror,
high school's here.
I finally get a new start.
I put on a tough exterior
so no one will mess with me,
because that's the way I want it to be.
I finally have a boyfriend.
We sometimes do things I don't want to do.
Rumors start;
you look like a slut, I look like a slut.
Stare, stare, stare.
15. Dear girl in the mirror,
you spend your nights sitting in the bathroom crying,
inside you are slowly dying;
but your luck changes.
Maybe this year will be better.
You have this high school thing down;
you can wear your title as a sophomore as your crown.
You have better friends, best friends,
a brand new boyfriend that you love with all of your heart.
He starts blaming everything on you.
You break up.
Are you not good enough?
Am I not good enough?
You stop eating, I stop eating,
you look skinny, I look skinny.
Stare, stare, Stare.
16. Dear girl in the mirror,
this year seems pretty cool.
You have your new friends to keep you company while you're in school.
You look healthy, you are healthy,
and hopefully that stays.
People are already starting to compare you to other people.
You start seeing more and more of the fat
instead of a nice six-pack.
You look fat, I look fat.
Stare, stare, stare.
Dear girl in the mirror,
here's to another number,
another year.
So, I'm going to let that sync in for a second.
This is a poem that I wrote for English this year,
and it's not a poem that I just made up of the top of my head.
It's a poem that I wrote about what I've gone through as a young woman today,
and what my friends and even the girls sitting next to me have gone through.
And there's a lot
that we've had to deal with
in a short course of about 16 years.
So, how many of you young ladies
have gone through something such as bullying
or hating yourself,
or a toxic relationship
or having a bad ex?
Please raise your hand.
Those hands that are raised,
there are too many hands;
this should not be happening.
How are we going to raise the future generation
to love themselves,
the future generation of girls to have confidence,
to be who they are and to accept themselves
if we don't even accept ourselves?
That is why I am calling on all of you,
all your brothers, sisters, moms, dads,
cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents.
That next time your girl who is a friend,
- your girlfriend, whatever you want to call her -
asks you - I know this sounds cliche -
"Does this make me look fat?"
or "Do I look pretty enough?",
tell her, "No; you do not look fat.
You are gorgeous no matter what,"
instead of giving just a simple, "Nah, you look fine."
Because every girl is beautiful,
and no amount of skinny models,
bullies, or mean exes,
should make her feel any different.
Thank you.
(Applause)