Fitting In in the book I Want to Be Miss America Essay

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In “I Want to Be Miss America,” Julia Alvarez examines her adolescent struggle to be “American.” For Alvarez, her Hispanic culture becomes a burden to her inclusion in American society. So, Alvarez and her sisters, struggle to become what they are not, Americans. Alvarez uses a somewhat biased stereotype to identify the model of an ideal American, but she does make clear. The struggle of all American teenagers to fit into or molded by a standard which for many of them is impossible to achieve.

Relating to Alvarez and her struggle is very easy and well known in every generation. Society puts a ridiculous high standard on outer appearances, especially for girls and women. Women grasp the perspective
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To achieve excellence in society’s standards, I have been in frightening situations and taken it to extremes. To understand the extreme measures I’ve taken, understand me. I am from a very loving, caring, sweet, and beautiful Italian works of art family. Sounds unbelievable right? Not when you look nothing like these masterpieces. Especially when others even admitted that I don’t look like anyone from my family. Maybe bits and pieces but you have to really be looking. Isn’t that just a stab in the heart or better yet the face? The pressure to be molded into one of these art pieces, have taken a great toll on my whole body and my mind, from passing out to not eating for weeks. Deep down, I know I will never look like my family and not stating that’s a bad thing because I am me! One day, reality will slap me across the face and overcome this obsession.

Overcoming an obsession is like kicking a nasty addiction. Luckily my addiction is a slow, but steady process that is healing. I do not compare myself as much as I did to my family. I learned from my religion that God made us all different because each of us has a different journey to voyage. I am eating healthy and correctly. Maintaining a balance of knowing my limits has increased my knowledge of weight loss and weight scare. But doesn’t mean temptation isn’t around the corner lurking its ugly, snarling head at me. Resisting is hard at

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