Getting Over My Scarlet Letter

All throughout my childhood all girls had their ears pierced or were getting them done. A common norm for girls that I simply could not do. When anyone asked me why, I told them I was fine with my stickers and clip-ons. Though in reality I was scared. Every time I went to the mall I would eye Claire’s as I walked past the store. Somehow I always seemed to spot the store way before we even got close to it, missing all the stores I really enjoyed going to in fear of the store coming up. In the back of my mind I would always hope that no one else saw the store and we would just casually walk past it, which obviously never worked as whoever I was with constantly nagged at me to get them done. My friends and family would always try to convince me to get them pierced, but I couldn’t. Every birthday or Christmas with my grandpa and Judy, Judy would always say how much she wished I had my ears pierced and would always tell me how much easier it would be to buy presents for me, as if that would change my mind at all. I didn’t exactly understand why I was so scared of the procedure; my little sister even got it done and she was two years younger than I, how could she have the courage and not me?! I once got really close, I was in Wal-Mart with my mom, I sat down in the chair, and they cleaned my ears with the alcohol cloth, put the dots on my ears, and were all ready to go. That’s when my fear came over me and I began to cry. It was horrible, in the end I still didn’t get them pierced. I had to walk around the rest of the day with dots on my ears because they don’t exactly come off right away. The purple dots might as well been the scarlet letter “C” for coward or chicken. It wasn’t until my freshmen year when I over came this fear at the mall with my friends, they were getting their second holes done and I just did it, of course with a little convincing, but I still did it.

To me, walking around with the purple dots on my ears symbolizes my fear and how I let it win. I now believe in overcoming your fears, having fear stops so many people from everyday things and events like having fun or doing things they would really like to do. Letting your fear win doesn’t let you try to do the thing in the end, you may in fact, enjoy. Now getting dressed up for high school dances is one of the things I most enjoy, getting to put on matching earrings to your dress that you’ve spent weeks waiting to wear.