COLUMN: Volume 2: Secrets From A Girl Who’s Seen it All Before
“The way I saw it was like I was a glass bottle of Coke that was just living my best life” (Makayla White).
April 11, 2024
Makayla White, Journalism Club Member
I have once again found myself guilty of buying the retinol creams and 20-step-skincare routines that are being sold to young girls thanks to platforms such as TikTok and Instagram. Miraculously enough, after slathering my face in creams and cleansers and even snail mucin, a pimple emerged from the high point of my cheekbone. I, very distraught, stared at myself in the mirror and picked apart every single thing I thought needed to be “fixed.”
As if some ‘spidey sense’ went off, my mom called me in the midst of this insecurity session. That’s when I realized I never grew out of the thing where you start crying because your mom asks if you’re okay. I reverted to my days as a toddler, tripping on my shoelace and getting teary-eyed because my mom would give me a worried look. I vented to her about everything. Every ounce of self-hatred that had previously been inside spewed from my mouth.
The way I saw it was like I was a glass bottle of Coke that was just living my best life, and then someone came and plucked me from a shelf in the store (that someone just happened to be a pimple in my case) then proceeded to leave me in the passenger side cup holder while they drove a bumpy back road. Naturally, everything inside the bottle was just fine until the joyride. Then it got all shaken up and before anyone saw it coming, the pressure couldn’t fit in the bottle anymore, so the cap went through the windshield leading to all the bottle’s contents to explode out in the open.
I, nothing but an empty bottle at this point, slowly began to fill myself back up whilst listening to my mom talk. She was putting together a “care package” for my boyfriend who was sick and asking me what he might like. I don’t think I’ve ever admired someone the way I admired my mother at that moment. She had to work all day, feed my brothers, and take care of the dogs, on top of all of that she was working on taking care of getting my car fixed. Somehow she works full time on a half-time schedule and still made time to do something so thoughtful while listening to me complain about everything.
I took a step back and realized that to me, being as kind, driven and selfless as my mother is what I want in life. I don’t care if my skin is clear or if I have wrinkles because I didn’t use retinol on my young face. I want to love like my mom does. I want to work as hard as she does, and I want my future daughters to admire me the way that I admire my mom. I have no fear of aging because of the role model that I was blessed to have.
As you scroll TikTok, keep in mind the things that truly matter in life. Don’t allow multi-million dollar companies to prey on your insecurities, and give your mom and your grandma a big hug because they go through it too.
