The Fiery Quill

For as long as I can remember, I have been receiving comments about my weight: "Better be careful when you take a shower, you might go down the drain." Or "Heather's so skinny, when she turns sideways...she disappears." I have had people ask me outright how much I weigh, after giving me the once over. I remember being insulted in middle school with the old adage, "Heather is a carpenter's dream: she's flat and easy to screw." My personal favorite is been repeatedly asked if I am anorexic. Then there is also being asked why I need to work out, or how many times I work out in a week. Women also seem to feel free to ask me what my clothing size is: can you believe how tacky people are? Most people would never walk up to an overweight person and make comments about their size or ask them their weight. So why do people feel entitled to do both to a person who is on the slender side? Many people may read this and wonder how I could possible complain ...

As a preteen, I met one of my greatest foes: zits. I have been plagued by those pesky red bumps ever since. I have finally figured out how to manage my skin as an adult, but it has been a very long road. I have been on just about every cream, pill, skin system, etc. The road to good skin has been a long one, rife with crappy products and bad experiences. When my skin had gotten particularly bad in middle school, my mom decided it was time to go to the dermatologist. My nice doctor put me on everything from tetracycline to various nasty-smelling creams I put on at bedtime. After little to no good results, he finally put me on the grandaddy of all zit-zappers: Accutane . I recall really having to push him to let me go on it....but all of the pleading, mandatory blood tests, and peeling skin was completely worth it. Within about a month, people started complementing me on how nice my skin looked. More importantly, I could look into a mirror and feel good about what I saw. I was on Accut...