"You look like Britney Spears...and NOT in a good way."

Bullying, luckily, was never a very big issue I faced when I was growing up. I witnessed it from time to time with friends and tried my best to serve as an advocate--but fortunate for me, I was rarely the punch line to some bully's joke-- at least not to my face...

Well, except this one time. 

It was a late-start day in the 7th grade, I had just bought a new skirt, and it was warm enough to wear it since we started school later in the morning. I was SO excited for my outfit! I wore a white shirt, my new black and gray layered skirt, my white knee high socks, and my Jack Purcell shoes. I thought I looked adorable...and my mother let me out of the house...so I couldn't have been looking too sleazy or dumb or mis-matched, right?

Wrong-- according to this bully. 

In typical "mean girls" fashion, a group of three 8th grade girls with arms linked came strolling up behind me and the middle girl decided to say this to me (I am 99.9% sure this is a direct quote):

"What the hell are you wearing? You look like Britney Spears-- and not in a good way."

These girls didn't miss a beat. They just kept on walking. To say the very least, after that, my day was ruined. I remember pushing my socks down the entire rest of the day, avoiding eye contact with as many people as possible for fear they had the same judgement, and my 1st period English seat-neighbor asking, very concerned, if I was okay over and over again.

Ugh-- bitch (Pardon my French)...I will never forget this girl.

Tomorrow is an event called Totally Tennyson which is a 70s-80s-90s themed street/bar/restaurant crawl that benefits the Denver Public School system. Dressing up, drinking, eating, and benefitting the children?? Be still, my heart--I'm there!

And guess who I'm dressing up as? Oh yeah, you guessed it, BRITNEY EFFING SPEARS, knee-high socks and all. I have pretty severe anxiety about wearing this outfit tomorrow...mostly because of what hurt me when I was a kid but I'm doing it anyway. I am going to rock it. And if anyone has an opinion I'll just say "HIT ME BABY ONE MORE TIME! I can take it!"

Happy Friday, all. Have a safe and wonderful weekend. I promise I'll do the same :)