Identity

“[Irene] slowly ran her pointer finger along the stripe. It made my arms and legs goose-bump…liking the feel of that finger but afraid of what it meant…Irene kissed me again. And I hadn’t dared her to do it, but I was glad that she did.”

Have you ever questioned or tried to change your identity? In The Miseducation of Cameron Post, by Emily M. Danforth, the 7^th grade protagonist, Cameron, began questioning her sexual identity after she kissed her best friend, Irene. Cameron wasn’t sure if she was a lesbian. This is an important topic because a lot of teenagers think about their identity and try to change who they are.

           

In the book, Cameron was worried that people would find out that she kissed Irene and tried to convince herself that she wasn’t a lesbian. Cameron was afraid of other people judging her. Let alone other people’s thoughts, I think that Cameron was also afraid of what this meant for how she looked at herself. She was in complete denial. Cameron thought that she wouldn’t be a lesbian if she didn’t admit it to herself. This connects to the real world when people, especially teenagers, try to hide their true selves because they feel insecure.

I can relate to Cameron because, in the past, I have tried to change myself for other people. I was afraid that other people wouldn’t like me and that I wouldn’t even like myself. Because of this, I adjusted myself to other people’s wants. By reading this book, I realized that if I have to change myself to please people, they aren’t worth pleasing. I like myself and I’m proud of who I am. Cameron needs to be herself and not feel intimidated by judgment.