Sarah Jordan "My Nose is not Me"

My nose has been a source of heartache from an early age. For any person of Jewish descent there is a stereotype associated with our noses. They are long and are supposed to look like beaks affixed to our faces. I was always cognizant of how my nose appeared in photographs and tried to contour it with makeup thinking that it always appeared larger than it was. I would joke, “My Jewish nose came from my Catholic father,” giving into the stereotype that my nose was supposed to look a certain way.

However, THIS DOES NOT DEFINE ME! My nose is one small part of who I am as a whole and this piece demonstrates how a body part cannot be how we interpret our entire body image. The green symbolizing the presumption of Jews having money and the use of WWII propaganda demonstrates how buying into stereotypes causes problems bigger than any of us could ever imagine.

India Thompson "Repetitive History"

Sarah (Saartjie) Baartman was an inspiring actress of the Khoikhoi tribe who was sold to a circus when she was 20 because of her protruding buttocks. Her circus name was “Hottenot Venus” and was sold throughout Europe. Caucasians considered her to be a wild and savage female and was even considered to be an orangutan. After she died, the Europeans dissected her body and displayed it in museums until they took it out in 1973.

India Thompson is a 20-year-old female who is most commonly known for, not by her name but “ the girl with the big ass.” She sometimes feels like a circus act because the way men and women look when she passes by. She even feels this hurts her love life because of the necessity of having a girl with a big butt in African-American culture. But in 2014, she decided to not let her butt get in the way of her life. . Now she embraces it instead of being embarrassed every time someone speaks about it.

Kristina Riley "Redefine Cutter"

I am small and they pick on me to make themselves feel bigger. If they only knew how big I am on the inside, so I backpack back to my room to find the razorblade I always hide. They didn’t believe me when I said I have a universe inside me. When I told them I am going to change the world, they laughed. So I cut my words into my skin to make them last.

What they say about sticks and stones isn’t true. Those words hurt me too, like razorblades, same sharp burn from words of hate. Pretending words could never hurt you is their justification for looking away. If that’s true, tell me what to say to my little brother who just wanted to be cool, but instead he got called faggot everyday at school. Suicide notes from third grade, the hate words harbor stains.

What I have come to say is we are here to redefine cutter kids like me and my brother, the bullied, the beaten. We split skin to let fresh air seep in. Insides of our mouths once bruised from the words we were taught to keep in. But because we learned that words matter, we are mindful of the words we are speaking. They are small. And they pick on us. To make themselves feel bigger. If they only knew. Let’s show them how big we are on the inside.

Brianna Hill "I am not my Breast"

No I am not an A-cup, but I strive to be an A-student. While people may pay attention to my bra size, they are losing sight on my leadership abilities. The system is designed to utter that beauty is the deciding factor, but I have been raised to value my intelligence, independence, and creativity. Sure I could parade the runway of the VS Angel Show, but I am more focused on parading across the stage at graduation. I AM NOT MY BREASTS, but a voice of my generation!

Miguel Martinez "My Pivot Foot"

I love sports; I love watching and playing them. As a Hispanic male, it’s often stereotyped that I only play soccer, which is not true. When I get the rock, I need my left foot to take the first step. I need my left foot to drive the lane. I need my left foot to turn and find the open man for the three. When I play basketball, my left foot keeps me active and balanced. So no, I don’t play soccer. My left foot is my pivot foot, not mi kicking foot. Stereotype Broken.

Chase Brown "From Me to Me"

The finger, pointing, degrades the person in the mirror. I single you out as an individual, isolated, targeted. The glaring finger finds you infamous and guilty. I assign the blame, shame, and punishment. Feel the condemnation and self-loathing. I am the only authority to actualize, The razzing humiliation. You are stigmatized. I point the finger. I am at fault. I am, you.

Essence Limbrick “I'm Not My Breast"

Skinny is a response to cultural images of the female body, the ideal, and also mocks body shape. Takes away all the ancillary signs of sexuality, takes away breasts, and hips, and butt and in their place leaves flesh and bones. A confession, I am not my Breast. People make jokes about my boobs, why don't they look underneath the breasts at the heart? It's obvious I've got little ones but they don’t define me. Everybody is different therefore all body types are different.

Melissa Robinson “Skin Color”

The color of my skin makes you speculate. There is more than just one group that I belong in. More groups than you care to investigate. But yet you find a way to ask What race I claim to be. Why should I have to wear a mask To keep you from judging me? Why do you care if I’m black or white, Asian, Hispanic, or from a tribe. Whatever I choose is somehow not right And to you, I give off an arrogant vibe. Just accept me for who I am, A person that is giving and kind. My skin a stigma I decline.

Jazzi Black "What a Waist of Time”

The idea that I’d never be “fine” enough for the cultural standards set by African American depictions in media is a lost memory. All the days spent longing for acceptance, to be defined as “beautiful,” are coming to an end. Valuable hours destructed by the agonizing pain of my insecurity trickle down into the minutes I learned to embrace my individuality. Now FREE, my mind, body, and soul are able to empower other women to articulate their royalty. We are all Queens, and NOT a Waist of Time.

J. T. Barrett “Skin Tone”

I am more then just Black. When people look at me that’s usually all they see, but I’m much more. They don’t see the hard work, dedication, determination, and a self-motivating man. Instead, they see Black. A color on the wheel of many shades. An adjective that describes so much, but so little. When you see me, what do you see? Hopefully it’s not a color. Hopefully you can see beyond that and get to see the man in me.

Alana Bush “I Do to I don’t”

"I Do" love you. "I Do" commit myself to you. "I Do" suffer, engage, and wed to this unity. "I Do" stand before God and say you are the one. "I Don't" want this anymore "I Don't" know if God really said you were the one. "I Don't" Love you "I Don't" want to engage in this suffering because I wed myself to you. "I DO" want a divorce. Do You or Don't You?