Thursday, 27 January 2011

I was a goth, yes I was. I was punky, yes I was. I was into metal, yes I was. I was also a bit weird, yes I was. Obsessed with how I looked, yes I was. But somewhere in between then and now I changed, and don't really care how I look anymore. Is that a crime?



Now, before I show you my teen photos, I just want to let you know that Bryan Russell is posting one of my flash fiction pieces on his blog, The Alchemy of Writing, today! So do me a favour and shimmy over there, after here, to take a look. It's a quick read, only about 400 words, so it won't take you long :o) If you'd like to learn more about Bryan, you can also head over to Matthew Rush's abode to read an interview with him.

Also there are two awesome Blogfests coming up that you really don't want to miss!

Nicole Ducleroir's Bernard Pivot Blogfest, which focuses on getting to know each other better. Sign up. It's fun and easy.

Blogging From A to Z April Challenge 2011And Arlee Bird's A-Z April Challenge. I participated in the A-Z last year and it was a riot! Check it out!







Ok, here's me being brave and giving you a glimpse into my late teens, very early twenties. I changed the way I looked a lot, and really liked to go OVERBOARD with dressing up! Oh man ... tell me again, why am I showing you these?

Sixteen


Seventeen

Eighteen

Nineteen

Nineteen 

Twenty


Twenty-one
Me, last year, boofy-haired, a little more chubby than I used to be, lazy to put make-up on or dress up, but hey, that's me and I'm happy to be me. I'll be 30 next month, and can't wait to see what this new decade brings!


Have a great weekend, everyone! See ya on the flipside!
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45 comments:

  1. Unknown27 January 2011 at 13:35

    Jess you're adorable!!! I love to see how you changed throughout the years! I am not near as bold as you are... I'll be keeping those tucked away FOR LIFE!

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  2. Matthew MacNish27 January 2011 at 13:52

    You're gorgeous, and apparently, you always have been.

    I'm very excited to see your flash fiction. Bryan's is the first place I ever shared my creative writing with anyone, and my life has rocked ever since.

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  3. Avo27 January 2011 at 13:52

    Well, hats off to you! That took guts... which, incidentally, is a requisite to ever go goth.
    That said, you look great in most of those pics so, you weren't go too far out on a limb! ; j

    It's neat see the changes over time... I've been dressing the same since I was old enough to choose my clothes for myself. In fact I still wear some clothes from then!

    Now where did I put my blackmail folder? ; j

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  4. Jim Murdoch27 January 2011 at 13:57

    One of the characters in my new novel is a Goth - a very minor character (she gets one line) - so maybe you could tell me a) what the attraction was and b) if you (or any other Goth come to think of it) would ever have worn a pair of what I refer to as "regulation-issue Klingon boots."

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  5. Len Lambert27 January 2011 at 14:02

    You look smashing, Jess! Whatever way you make yourself look, you still look pretty as ever. I like the way you look without make-up too! :) Thanks so much for sharing these beautiful photos with us. :)

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  6. Jessica Bell27 January 2011 at 14:09

    @Jim: Hmm, my attraction was that I liked attention then, and the only way to get it was to look different. I also like the idea of people judging me by the way I dressed, which would give me the secret satisfaction that they had no idea who I was about inside. I think I like the mysteriousness of it. RE the boots: What 'shit-kicker boots'? Hell yeah! ;o)

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  7. Lindsay27 January 2011 at 14:27

    Aww. I love the pink hair. :)

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  8. Ted Cross27 January 2011 at 14:36

    Nothing to be ashamed of there! I've been far more boring, basically never changing my look ever even though I don't really like the way I look.

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  9. Alex J. Cavanaugh27 January 2011 at 15:00

    You're a goth girl all right! And thanks for plugging the A to Z Challenge. We have almost 100 signed up so far.

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  10. Laura Pauling27 January 2011 at 15:09

    I love the pictures! I think lots of girls wish to dress like that but don't! But somehow I don't you've ever been one to hide or be shy! :)

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  11. Jessica Bell27 January 2011 at 15:13

    @ Laura: I was actually very shy. And I think I dressed like that because I could kinda pretend I was someone else, pretend to be confident. I also got drunk a lot which de-inhibited me, if that's a word :o)

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  12. RHYTHM AND RHYME27 January 2011 at 15:26

    These photo's are wonderful, what a very attractive person you are.


    Yvonne.

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  13. Unknown27 January 2011 at 15:58

    You just get more and more beautiful with each passing year. Loved seeing your picture timeline. Beautiful!!

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  14. Candyland27 January 2011 at 16:39

    Ahhh sister...you're beautiful throughout. Believe me, I could dig up some embarrassing crap...

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  15. Cherie Reich27 January 2011 at 16:42

    Those are great pictures! I love the cherry red hair you had in that one. Very cool!

    And, I read your flash fiction. It's wonderful. I love that it is a prose poem. :D

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  16. Roland D. Yeomans27 January 2011 at 16:58

    You were gorgeous in each photo. None of us are as secure as we want to be in our teens. Some are just better actors than others. I would say your less attention to outer detail suggests more attention to your inner world. Just a guess. Brave lass. Roland

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  17. Carolyn V.27 January 2011 at 17:20

    You have great pics! You are so beautiful. I love the pink hair. My friend just colored her hair dark pink and she's in her late 30s. I'm still not that brave. =)

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  18. Shannon O'Donnell27 January 2011 at 17:23

    LOL. Love it! My favorite is twenty one - you look gorgeous in that photo!!! :-)

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  19. SY27 January 2011 at 17:38

    ah! lol.. this is a great post.. a glimpse into your past...

    lol
    - Sy

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  20. Leigh Caron27 January 2011 at 18:23

    Well, after reading your flash fiction, I can see that your writing is as creative as your persona, and in your writing, is the real you. Thanks for the glimpse

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  21. Bryan Russell27 January 2011 at 18:33

    Ah, youth. So unaware of the weight of gravity. Or how much free time you gain by being lazy.

    You look charming throughout, though slightly dangerous when you were seventeen. Something about that smile...

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  22. Carolyn Abiad27 January 2011 at 18:35

    A pretty girl is a pretty girl is a pretty girl...however she dresses up! Goth suits you. :) Wish I had the guts to do it! I did have pink hair once, when I was sixteen. Don't tell my kids! ;)

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  23. Jess27 January 2011 at 19:52

    Awww, you look super pretty in all of them :) And such personality and zest for life...*sigh* I feel really boring.

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  24. Jules27 January 2011 at 19:58

    My favorite is the "Cyndi Lauper" look with red/pink hair, seriously. I have niece who is goth. My advice to all, "Let your freak fly and be proud of it."

    Have a wonderful weekend :)
    Jules @ Trying To Get Over The Rainbow

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  25. Ann27 January 2011 at 20:08

    Great Photos Jessica! It is interesting to see how you evolved over the years. I like your 30 Photo! Looking good!

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  26. Kelly Polark27 January 2011 at 20:18

    Beautiful pictures, Jessica. I especially like the 16 yr old one with the braids. You look very sure of yourself there. I love how you changed your look so much!! And you look pretty in every single one!

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  27. Christopher27 January 2011 at 20:34

    You looked rather dangerous at 19 when you were in front of all the pictures.

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  28. Glynis Peters 27 January 2011 at 20:35

    Love each and every one of you! How bold and brave you looked.

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  29. Talli Roland27 January 2011 at 20:37

    Aw! Love the 16-year-old Jess! You looked fantastic, whatever the age and the look!

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  30. Lenny Lee27 January 2011 at 21:32

    hi miss jessica! wow i love all those pictures. its fun seeing how you could look a while back and now. but for sure you got one thing that didnt never change and thats how pretty you are. :)
    ...big hugs from lenny

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  31. M Pax27 January 2011 at 23:46

    You look fab in all your styles. Will go read your flash.

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  32. Theresa Milstein28 January 2011 at 01:15

    I was a punk-goth girl too! Maybe one day I'll post a few pictures. Maybe.

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  33. LTM28 January 2011 at 02:04

    *snort* silly bunny. Love the red bangs on the bed look. I have a friend who's goth... I'm an old lady, so we didn't have that when I was your age. (LOL! yep, just said that~)

    Back in my day (Granny says), we were just Cure/Smiths/Depeche Mode/Joy Division fans in black turtlenecks and red lipstick. And now (like you) I barely wear lipstick. sigh~ :D <3

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  34. Melissa Gill28 January 2011 at 05:03

    Loved your flash fiction. What a georgeous girl you are. Happy 39th.

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  35. Anonymous28 January 2011 at 08:07

    Great pics and shout it loud because you look marvelous. And its not how you feel, its how you look and you look marvelous (bad Billy Crystal imitation). Thanks for letting us get to know you a little better.

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  36. broken biro28 January 2011 at 11:35

    Aw that's cheating! You've always looked great. In retrospect I should have been a goth and it would have made me more confident, I think, but I got a job in a bank at 16. I wouldn't have kept it long with black makeup and piercings! ... actually that would have been a Good Thing!

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  37. Lisa Galek28 January 2011 at 17:33

    I love you at sixteen! You're so adorable!

    Sadly, I was just a boring high schooler who only wished she had pink hair! At least you have cool pictures like this to look back at!

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  38. Arlee Bird29 January 2011 at 00:31

    Thanks for the A to Z mention. Hope some your readers follow you into the funzone of the Challenge.

    Your changing look doesn't surprise me too much. I think we all have our phases as we grow up and eventually end up not caring about trends that much. I don't think I have the photos to track my younger days' looks.

    Lee
    Tossing It Out and the Blogging From A to Z April Challenge 2011

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  39. DL Hammons29 January 2011 at 17:33

    Goth, punk, metal, it didn't matter. You couldn't hide the fact you were (and are) a babe! :)

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  40. Linda G.29 January 2011 at 18:15

    Beautiful at every stage along the way. :)

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  41. The Blogger Formerly Known As29 January 2011 at 22:23

    I watched my sister go through most of these phases. She even shaved her hair off once.

    I have to say, you look wonderful in all of them.
    The enigmatic, masked blogger

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  42. Southpaw29 January 2011 at 22:23

    Fun, fun, fun! A new look for every year.

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  43. Sharon K. Mayhew30 January 2011 at 05:16

    That was super Jessica! I love how you expressed yourself over the years. Priceless!

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  44. Natasha7 February 2011 at 06:54

    I think you look great in all the pictures. I wish I had been as brave as you when I was that age- they suit you so.

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  45. Matthew MacNish30 March 2012 at 03:04

    Came back. Looking for the clearer version of that photo that made the cover of Solo, and man, it's crazy to see what a time warp looking at an old blog post can pull you into.

    It's an honor to have you as a friend, Jess. You keep on rockin on.

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