Story

1-22-11 The path to growing up is a long one, filled with long winding paths, bumpy turbulent pot holes, and numerous detours that could ultimately change or cement the outcome of one’s journey to adulthood. No person’s path is the same as another’s. That is what makes everyone’s journey unique. While there may be similarities between journeys along the way growing up is an individualized journey all its own. Quinn Hummel’s rocketing path to adulthood is definitely no exception. Quinn grew up in a modest upper middle class home with younger sister, and two very hard working parents. As a young girl she loved to play with dolls, and the Barbies were always her favorite. She had many of them, because they were always given to her as birthday gifts, Christmas presents, and so forth. The idea of being able to change one’s look at the drop of hat, by mixing outfits on her doll always made her face light up. The clothing no matter what doll always fit just right, and she loved that. As she grew up, however, the dolls became more of a pile of clutter in her pink and white bedroom, than her play pals. Quinn’s fascination for dressing up those dolls now invaded her life in a new way, through dressing up herself. She loved everything about fashion as she hit her teen years. The idea of designing, setting trends, and shopping for new clothes captivated her. The problem, however, was that the clothes in real life never fit perfect on her like they always did on those Barbie dolls. As Quinn began her third year of high school at the age of 16, she was fun, cheerful, and involved in school activities. That same year her sister, Dianna, entered as a freshman. Immediately, in Quinn’s eyes it seemed as if Dianna had all the popularity and boys looking at her. Something Quinn never had fully experienced. As her insecurities grew the more the imperfect the not always fitting clothes became. Quinn was convinced that she was not pretty or thin enough, and began to obsess on those growing insecurities. It didn’t help that Quinn’s fashion magazines and favorite television shows focused on thin, beautiful, vibrant girls. Quinn was not overweight, far from it actually. She was an average, healthy weight if you were to judge her. In her eyes she was chubby and never measurably beautiful like her younger athletic, popular sister, or her perfect, idealistic Barbie dolls. Slowly, Quinn began to eat less and work out more. Her obsession was no longer the fashion, but the thin models associated with it. When she did eat, she binged, and then would quickly run to a bathroom and throw it up. She was no longer the fun, cheerful, involved Quinn that many liked. Dianna began to notice how at lunch Quinn would hardly eat after even after skipping breakfast. She began to watch Quinn more and more. One day Dianna heard Quinn in her bathroom. She opened the door to find Quinn in a sweater and jean shorts, curled over a toilet holding her mouth crying. It was in this moment with Dianna looking at her with fearful eyes that Quinn got to see how destructive she had become to herself. She collapsed on the floor crying that day, but with her sister and her parents, eventually Quinn did not feel like she had to look like a Barbie doll to fit in. She only had to be herself. The fun, cheerful, eager to participate in activities self regardless of how thin or heavy she may become. Quinn Hummel had to rocket into adulthood, but that’s how her journey of growing up, at least for now, has taken place. At least that’s the short version of how one major event as affected it so far.