My Color | Teen Ink

My Color MAG

By Anonymous

     I enjoy color, whether it is my crisp clothes or the blinking light of my alarm clock. Like some grand accomplishment of constructing an Academy Awards outfit, I stare in awe at my closet, my source of pride. “Okay, school-bus yellow is darker than lemon yellow,” I tell myself as I meticulously rearrange my color-coordinated clothes. As I look at my variegated shirt selection, I revel in my need for joyous color and expression. Because, you see, my everyday life is colorless, gray - dark and full of challenges. Catching the bus at 6:35 (nope, no car for me) and helping my mom (single parent at that) cook, budget, and pinch pennies - these are the realities of life. It’s not unfair, but it’s hard nonetheless. I make the best of it in my search for color, my search for illustration, my search for self.

Taking a look at my closet, which is essentially a reflection of my chirpy persona, one would notice that I own few solid shirts. That would be boring - the antithesis of everything I represent. I need vibrancy; I need sizzle; I need dimension. Plaids, stripes, and eye-boggling outfits fulfill this yearning. Each color contributes to my message.

Although most guys would be frightened to wear one, I’m not afraid to sport a salmon-pink rugby shirt or a rich Tyrian purple T-shirt. Because my father was never around and I didn’t have the whole father-son experience with football and no-girls-allowed playhouses, my colorful world has taken a new hue. So, while the “big game” is on television, I knit my friends scarves, I cook my own dinner, and I organize my house. My life experiences have made me who I am: a person not afraid of ridicule and persecution as a result of my preferences.

Though I am not afraid to wear anything, I do have a favorite shirt that totally represents who I am: a vintage lime-green T-shirt with horizontal tangerine strips. It is not pristine - scattered holes demonstrate its use - but it’s frequently worn nonetheless. The T-shirt is bright and distinctive. I love offbeat; I love to stand out. I wear who I am, not who others are. It is not just making a loud, aesthetic masterpiece for the eye, or getting the colors just right - it is an emotional longing, a joyous enthusiasm, a constant lifestyle.

Color is not just color; it’s the fuel that ignites my bones. It is who I am: a vivid dreamer. I do not want to be black and white. I want to stand out; I want to shine. I want to be the neon colors that light the world.



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This article has 8 comments.


i love this so much!

on Apr. 5 2015 at 2:32 am
sluugspit BRONZE, San Diego, California
2 articles 1 photo 2 comments

Favorite Quote:
"you never know if tomorrow can be the best day of your life"

amazing writer!

on Feb. 20 2015 at 6:09 pm
shinebrightxoxo BRONZE, Roslyn, New York
3 articles 0 photos 4 comments
Great job! Really, really gave me a sense of who you are!

on Oct. 11 2014 at 9:26 am
TravelerenRoute GOLD, Ribera, New Mexico
13 articles 1 photo 65 comments

Favorite Quote:
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.<br /> Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.<br /> <br /> It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.<br /> We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant,<br /> gorgeous, handsome, talented and fabulous?<br /> <br /> Actually, who are you not to be?<br /> You are a child of God.<br /> <br /> Your playing small does not serve the world.<br /> There is nothing enlightened about shrinking<br /> so that other people won&#039;t feel insecure around you.<br /> We are all meant to shine, as children do.<br /> <br /> We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us.<br /> It is not just in some; it is in everyone.<br /> <br /> And, as we let our own light shine, we consciously give<br /> other people permission to do the same.<br /> As we are liberated from our fear,<br /> our presence automatically liberates others.&quot;<br /> Marianne Williamson

Wow! That is so well written. I love the way you compare how you dress with your wardrobe choices. Nicely done.

on Oct. 2 2013 at 9:46 pm
CelebrateDifferences, Long Island, New York
0 articles 0 photos 71 comments

Favorite Quote:
&ldquo;Gods of Olympus.&rdquo; Piper stared at Leo. &ldquo;What happened to you?&rdquo;<br /> His hair was greased back. He had welding goggles on his forehead, a lipstick mark on his cheek, tattoos all over his arms, and a T-shirt that read HOT STUFF, BAD BOY, and TEAM LEO.<br /> &ldquo;Long story,&rdquo; he said.&rdquo;

Interesting.........Unique it is 

Chins_Up said...
on Sep. 24 2011 at 6:22 am

I'm sure you'e heard how wonderful your essay is. I've always prided myself on being a greatly descriptive writer-especially for one my own age. But I am not to stupid to admit my own defeat,  hands down I've lost to you. What I especially love is though you've used words that are irregular it doesn't sound so overwhelming. Stories and Essays that have an abundance of 'complicated' words feel fake and choppy.

I feel as if the mojo is broken and the words are gaudy. Anyways, I doubt you or others get my meaning.

All that to say was that I loved your Essay. I may be fuming with jealousy and trying to concoct some kind of creative juices from my soul at the moment, but that doesn't change a thing.

Love to read your other work :P

~Chins Up


dana12345678 said...
on Oct. 27 2008 at 3:47 pm
i love this! great essay (: it was entertaining.