OUR FIRST TEEN CONTRIBUTOR

Here is our first Teen Contributor entry! Have something to say? Look at the bottom of this post for details on how you can be featured on Girls in the Hall and win a Barnes and Noble E-Gift Card.

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MIRROR, WHO ARE YOU?
A poem and photo by Lee, 18, Florida  

I look in the shining glass with white covering these empty walls.
All I want is to be loved by myself and the ones around me
Like these walls I have scars and bruises I can never get rid of:

Love can be a very good thing
sometimes walls cover candy pink and apple red
Then again Love can be a damp thing
covering the walls of gloomy blue and coal black
At times I feel like re-painting these walls
to make them what I feel is happening 

Then the tears start running down my face
and the sunshine fades to a thunder storm
It’s hard to pick the pieces up after a long day of crying

As I talk to my friends and family
the storm suddenly ends and possibilities come my way

So mirror on the wall I look at you in awe wondering 

where you are taking my life when will you finally show!

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Do you have an original...

Short story? 

Poem?

Essay?

Photograph?

Book/Film/TV review?

Recipe?

Editorial?

Send it to us at girlsinthehallblog@gmail.com for a chance to be published on Girls in the Hall and win a Barnes and Noble E-Gift Card. You could be next!

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Failure, originally uploaded by Diana Pinto.

"Don't forget to win first place 

Don't forget to keep that smile on your face." 

-Alanis Morissette, PERFECT

Pressure, pressure, pressure. How many of you feel it? I do. Sometimes it sufficates me from all around. In high school, I went through a (very long) phase where I listened to this song on repeat--when I woke up in the morning and brushed my teeth while reviewing flash cards for Spanish or in my headphones as I ran from drama-to-cheerleading-to-study hall-to-babysitting. It was the perfect soundtrack to the loop of worry "what if's" in my head.... What if I didn't make the grade and didn't get into just the right college? What if dad won't be proud of me anymore if a fail? What if I let my team down? What if my teachers think I am stupid? What if my sister thinks I suck? What if my boyfriend won't like me for not wanting to go beyond kissing? What if people don't like me?

We are taught to go through life with these thoughts of potential failure as the end all, be all of how to measure life's success. Don't get me wrong, some pressure is good, like the adrenal you get right before running at a track meet or going up in front of a crowd to give a speech. I am finally learning how to separate the good from the bad.

While most of us are taught to be incredibly afraid of failure, society tells us we need to grin through it. Some think that expressing fear is weakness. We at Girls in the Hall know that it is the exact opposite--a girl who is able to voice her fears is not only being honest with the world, but counts as one of the bravest. Just think, these fears are shared by many.

This photo was taken by a great teen photographer, who we found on flickr.com. Her caption is, " This is pretty much how I feel all the time. Wrote that on my hand yesterday in Latin class to remind myself of what I am. This isn't for attention, it's to express myself." When stumbling upon this while looking for Girls in the Hall photos, it reminded us that we are not alone and sparked this blog. Imagine if we could all talk about when we feel like this without society telling us to keep it bottled inside.


I love giving everything I start my best effort and I have now learned that it's ok to make some mistakes along the way. After all, mistakes are the pieces of a patchwork quilt that warm fear of failure away.

CALLING ALL TEEN WRITERS

Writing the Story of Her Life, originally uploaded by Inside Every Heartbeat.

It's official! Girls in the Hall has hit 100 posts coming into 2011.

With our 100th, we are putting the word out. Do you enjoy writing? Whether you have ever thought about becoming a writer, love journaling or have pondered what it would be like to type out some thoughts on the computer, Girls in the Hall is looking for you!

We are in search of teen contributors.

What do you want to share with the world? Whether it is a book/music/movie review, advice you have to give, fiction you have written, or you just have something to say, we want to know. Any original blog you have written for real girls living real high school lives is fair game.

Plus, if your entry is chosen to be published on Girls in the Hall, you will win a Barnes and Noble Gift Card!

Submit your blogs to us at girlsinthehallblog@gmail.com along with your first name, state/country and age. Will notify winners within two weeks of submission.

So, what are ya waiting for? We look forward to reading what you have to share.

FIRST 2011 QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Happy New Year, originally uploaded by Calsidyrose.

Peppermint Patty: It's been a great year, Chuck. You'll have to admit that. What you do think, Chuck, would be good rules for living in the New Year?

Charlie Brown: Keep the ball low, don’t leave your crayons in the sun, use dental floss every day, don’t spill the shoe polish, always knock before entering, don’t let the ants get in the sugar, never volunteer to be a program chairman, always get your first serve in, and feed your dog whenever he’s hungry.

Peppermint Patty: Will those rules give me a better life, Chuck?

Charlie Brown: The better life and a fat dog.

-CHARLIE BROWN

How did you ring in the New Year? At a party? At home watching the Jersey Shore cast on MTV or Dick Clark do the Times Square countdown? Regardless of where you were, I am sure that you were wondering about the possibilities of 2011. I know I was--and still am.

The opportunities to start something new for the future with the foundations of the past are both thrilling and daunting. One thing I definitely know is that the second year of Girls in the Hall will be a great new chapter where we will continue to bring you our thoughts--and yours--on being a teen, being yourself, and making it through high school. Oh, and we will be sure to not leave our crayons in the sun along the way.

2010: WHAT I LEARNED

Snow fun~, originally uploaded by HannaDonato.

I just took a moment to crack open my window and invite some of the snow in as an after Christmas guest. Up on the east coast, mother nature has given us a white blanket to clean the slate a-new to mark the end of the year.

Gazing out at the snow as it tumbles from roof to roof aimlessly, the last breath of 2010 whispers to the beat of the blizzard. This entry was supposed to be a list of New Year's resolutions, Girls in the Hall style. Instead, it turned into what I have learned this past year. 2010--you broke my heart, gave me the idea to start this blog and connect with girls around the country, shocked me with both the humanity and cruelty around the world, helped me fall in love again, and showed me that I am capable of so much more than I ever thought possible. Life threw lesson after lesson at me in the high school of life, and I am a better person for it. I am sure that a lot of you have had the same experiences. What I scribbled down along the way:

It's ok to get mad.... I have spent so much of my life bottling up my feelings in an attempt to be ever cheery. I realized that I can indeed be a good person and get upset sometimes, and it's a-ok. So often girls are taught to not get upset, and it is time we break that pattern.

Be brave..... The high road is hard sometimes. Climbing it often means courage and more work. Being kind to everyone at school, popular or not, takes strength. In order to reverse the bullying epidemic, it takes all of us--one by one--to take a stand. You could change someone's life by a hello or smile in the hallway each day.

Make time to play....... With all of the things on a girl's to do list, "time to just have fun" usually doesn't rate all that high. With exams, college applications, dealing with family, stressing about friends/boys/you name it, we all need to take a little time to breathe.

Volunteer.... It is so easy to get swept up in to the huge soap opera that is social hour at school. Think about all of the time you spend sending texts or calling your friends with gossip. What if you all took some of that time and bettered the planet? Find something that you like--tutoring, spending time playing board games at a senior center, taking care of stray pets, etc.--and you will discover that the person who gets the most out of giving your time is YOU.

Unabashedly Us.... I am a girl of paradoxes. I love to lip gloss and sneakers. I can't throw a football to save my life, but love to watch the game. I can be the life of the party, but sometimes get so shy I want to blend into the wallpaper. Each day I learn more things about myself, and have learned to embrace all of my quirks. After all, without them we would all be the same.

Don't rush.... In our attempts to make it to the next stage of life and all of the energy that we put into the possibilities of the future, don't let the present get swept away like the snow.

Bring on 2011!

GIVING BACK

the whole world in her hands., originally uploaded by Liz. :).

How are you spending your winter break? With the holidays upon us, Girls in the Hall wants to highlight some volunteering ideas where you can really make an impact and show the world what this season really stands for. Take a break from the mall or baking Christmas cookies to give a gift to the world. Here are our favorite ideas:


1) Donate. Donate Donate.
Reach out to your local shelters and food pantries to see what they need--canned goods and warm weather clothing are often in great need . Start a drive around your neighborhood and give free services like babysitting, car washing or lawn care to those who donate.



2) Give a toy.
Thousands of kids need help to get gifts for Christmas that so many of us take for granted. Check out Toys for Tots to see what what you can get, or hit up bookstores like Barnes and Noble to give the gift of reading.


3) Take some time.
Contact a local nursing home or shelter and see about spending some time there. Play a game, organize a dance or just sit and talk. You will learn a ton and have a powerful time that puts perspective on the season.


4) Fundraise.
Bake cookies or do crafts and sell them to go towards your favorite Holiday charity. Our favorites are Holiday care packages from Service men and woman over seas. Click here to check out their site.

5) Love to cook?
Whip up your favorite Holiday recipe and send it on over to a food shelter or hunger organization. Call 'em first to make sure they take homemade items.


6) Get fit and contribute.
Look on your community calendar to see what walks and races are coming up in your area and raise money for a good cause while walkin' off the pumpkin pie calories.


7) Love animals?
Buy and ask around for dog/cat supplies and drop them off at your local animal shelter.


Check your online city government website for other ideas to give back this season! Also, make sure to keep on volunteering year round--the world doesn't just need help on the holidays!

DANCES 101

prom., originally uploaded by Renee Rorer..

Last month, a fellow Girl in the Hall shot us an email about a hot topic: Dances. There are some of us who day dream about them during English class, hoping the crushes who fill our heads and notebooks will ask us. Some of us dread the thought of spending the night dressed up at the gym and would much rather stay home with a movie. Others of us have had our fill. With so many girl-ask-guy dances coming up this winter, we thought we would take a stab at answering all things D-A-N-C-E.

1) What do you do if you get asked?
Well, that depends on who asks. Just remember, regardless, the guy doing the asking is indeed sticking his neck on out by posing that question into the ether. You gotta respect a dude who can put everything on the line by asking. Our advice is, follow your gut and don't be afraid of a little surprise. That guy you have never talked to who asks you to that dance may just end up being your high school sweetheart, a good friend, or, at the very least, a fun memory down the road. If you really, really, really don't wanna go with the guy who asks, remember to let him down easy and treat him with kindness. Be open to the unexpected, ladies. That being said, if you find this guy off putting in a safety kinda way, always FOLLOW YOUR GUT!

2) What to do if you don't get asked?
First off, it is a-ok. Second, have you thought about doin' the asking? My senior year, I asked the cute guy in drama class to a dance and we ended up dating. He hadn't thought about asking me and I went for it. The worst that can happen is they say no and you move on over to the next option. This is 2010, after all. Personally, some of the best dances I ever attended were with a group of my closest friends. We didn't have the pressure of awkward convos with our dates and just danced our faces off and laughed.

3) Girls Choice Dances: What to do?
There are so many answers for this that you have to look at what you want out of the night. Do you want to go for it and ask your crush? Go with a guy friend you know you will have a blast with dancing it up? Be part of a group of girls that forgo the dates? Only you know the answer to this. Do want you want!

4) How should a girl with senioritis cope with the dance question?
Our short answer: High school only comes along once in a lifetime (unless you are Billy Madison, of course). The thought of another prom, Sadie Hawkins or homecoming may make your eyes roll, but one day you make look back and wonder where the dancing days have gone. You don't have to spend all of your allowance on a way pricey dress and stress over asking your crush---instead, swap dresses with friends or scour thrift stores and all go stag. Then, the pressure of the event goes away and it is all about being with your friends for that precious moment in time called being a girl. Enjoy it.

Got any other dance questions? Drop us an email! girlsinthehallblog@gmail.com