Teachers? I didn't think they really knew what that even meant! I've had teachers ask if people are 'okay', about family situations and mental issues and the like, but not so much straight out like that. One of my favorite bands is called "Death Cab For Cutie" and no ones ever asked me that . . . then again, your icon is sort of sad-depressing with lots of blue, so that's probably it.

You can be melodramatic, Sakka, but you have a general aura of awesomeness, not of depressing-ness. Besides, it's all sort of how you perceive yourself. This is horrible, but arrogant self-sure people get a lot of attention, and have a lot of fun. I'm not saying that anyone should be like that, or that confident t people are so self-sure on the inside, but if you act like you're unafraid, you'll find yourself becoming less scared. Likewise, if you label yourself 'emo' and think of yourself like that (in a bad context, ect) you become more depressed/self-pitying . . . or that's how it works for me. I'm really into acting though, so maybe it's because I get into personas overalll more?

Recently they did a study which showed you were more likely to agree with-something if you hear it while nodding your head, and more likely to disagree if you hear it shaking your head back and forth. Humans are built funny.

I wore a low-cut dress the other day! ^^ Its a really pretty sundress, and I hadn't warn it in a while - curse you, winter! I'd forgotten how low it was, though . . . I only found out at lunch that you could see a bit of my polka-dot bra underneath! /////;

One day, I'll have money, and I'll be able to actually buy nice clothing for myself. >> Not necessarily revealing, but, at the very least, vaguely nice-looking. :B I've been so isolated from society that I really have no clue what my style is, though.

You can be melodramatic, Sakka, but you have a general aura of awesomeness, not of depressing-ness. Besides, it's all sort of how you perceive yourself. This is horrible, but arrogant self-sure people get a lot of attention, and have a lot of fun. I'm not saying that anyone should be like that, or that confident t people are so self-sure on the inside, but if you act like you're unafraid, you'll find yourself becoming less scared. Likewise, if you label yourself 'emo' and think of yourself like that (in a bad context, ect) you become more depressed/self-pitying . . . or that's how it works for me. I'm really into acting though, so maybe it's because I get into personas overalll more?

That makes sense. I wholly agree.

To those people who think "being yourself is better than lying to yourself and being someone you're not"...That's bullshit. Conform as much as possible don't try to do your own thing and ignore everyone who looks down on you for dressing all gothy or whatever. That just makes you anti-social and hate everything you'll gain few friends and have a crappy time in high school or where ever. Dress and act like everyone else. It's better to be accepted than rejected.

I'm wondering where you draw the line because that same line of thought could lead to 'serves her right for getting raped, she's always acting slutty'. I think we should discourage this kind of thought pattern because harassment stems from the harasser's lack of discipline and self control really. Again, I'm reluctant to blame the victim.

Besides, it's all sort of how you perceive yourself. This is horrible, but arrogant self-sure people get a lot of attention, and have a lot of fun. I'm not saying that anyone should be like that, or that confident t people are so self-sure on the inside, but if you act like you're unafraid, you'll find yourself becoming less scared.

That is true, lots of empirical studies on that sort of stuff. As weird as it sounds, smiling can actually make you happy (like a I-mean-it-type of smile).

I don't think I ever wear revealing clothes. xD I'm such a failure. Whenever I go outside, I look so SHAPELESS.

Ms Fen, you're not old enough to be shaped. If you were, you'd be the target of pedophiles or something and that's not cool.

Personally, I'd rather be who I really am, and if people can't accept that that's too bad for them

On conformity, I mean.

Allright. There is obviously something written in the human code that wants to be accepted. No one actually wants to be despised. Ignored is different, there are people who are loners, but they don't pop up so frequently in writing circles, especially not on a writer's forum. We like to talk too much.

But anyway. Everyone wants attention. Everyone wants friends. Thats a given. I think humans are basically tribal. We form groups, and we put our soul into our groups. That's how I think wars start - "our group is better than yours!1!1!" sort of tribal attitudes we have. Doesn't matter if these groups are political or racial or religious. They're just a fancy word for tribes.

So anyway. I keep on getting off topic! Everyone wants attention. Even the 'screw the rules' attitude is a bit of a plea for attention. No offense. People who try their very hardest not to 'follow fashion and the crowd blindly' generally are staring just as hard at that crowd and that fashion, so they can do the opposite. Just speaking from personal experience with the people I have met. Not that the two are synonymous.

(It's not anything against you. It's just that I hate it when people think someone who likes clothes is 'superficial' or bitchy. Fashion is an art! You don't call a sculptor 'superficial'. You don't say that about painters! Hell, even writers get a better rap than someone into fashion. Unless you're in design school, you're just 'conforming'. Thanks. A lot.)

Honestly, though, just do what makes you happy. This is a weird piece of advice, but if you feel better in 'that crowd', conforming as much as possible, do that. If you feel better with a crowd of weirdoes (like myself), do that. We all conform to something. Sometimes its to ourselves. There's always going to be a group of people who think like you, that you want to be friends with. Not exactly like you, but enough. No ones ever going to be exactly like you, or like everything about you. You have to compromise, think about what you really want. Be yourself as much as you can, but conform a little, so everyone else can be their-self too.

I think. >_> that didn't make so much sense, did it?

Low cut tops are not asking for rape. Neither are the people who wear them. They are asking, 'please move this luggage for me?"

Actually, I've always been able to reach the upper bar-thingies. But hight comes with a price, I always get horrible leg-cramps from sitting in those tiny seats. There's no room, dammit!

To a degree, I can't handle it. But I'd only go so far for the sake of keeping a positive image in other's eyes.

I've learned over time that every time in life that I try to be friends with everyone, I generally end up being friends with no one. With that in mind, I generally just stick with the people who I like more, even if that's a bit unfair to others, and act the way that I feel like acting; I usually end up with a pretty neat crowd.

Low cut tops are not asking for rape. Neither are the people who wear them. They are asking, 'please move this luggage for me?"

Ifly. >>

Lovely saying.

've learned over time that every time in life that I try to be friends with everyone, I generally end up being friends with no one.

That's pretty much my problem. I was friends with a group of people I didn't particularly like, but they were friends with a boy I liked far too much, so I stuck with them for a while. Now he's got a girlfriend and they won't stop bothering me. And I've grown very distant with my real friends. It's problematic.

Alright, there's my stereotypical teenage rant of the day! I'm sure I just lost all of your respect I've been carefully gathering! Yay!

Ifly. >>

I don't speak Phoenix! Translation, please?

No way. :P It would take a lot for me to lose my respect for you.

I don't speak Phoenix! Translation, please?

I fucking love you? xD

what ever happened to chicks before dicks...! Go back to your real friends!

On conformity, there's always room to be yourself within social norms. Without conformity, there'd be no society, but without individuality, there's no progress. It's a balancing act.

Anyway, I wasn't aware that most writers were females. I know several male writers. Admittedly the guys favor action/adventure writing I think. The stuff that's littered with fighting so even writing can be, in a sense, masculine.

And here I always thought that the number of writers was equal and that each just had their own style. After all, in the old days women were so downtrodden that they didn't get to express themselves all that much at all. While art was mostly done by guys. Da Vinci, Raphael, the list goes on.

In the real world? That's a bit of a stretch. On FictionPress? For some reason, I wouldn't be surprised. Maybe it just seems like that to me because the forums I read here are mostly populated by girl, but I don't know...

Representing an exception to the rule: me. I hate writing fight scenes or other such scenes because I find them difficult to present clearly and to keep the pacing up. When I tried, I had too little detail, went back and added too much detail, went back again and restructured the scene, and finally became so digusted with it that I started a new story.

And here I always thought that the number of writers was equal and that each just had their own style.

An, but here's the rub. I don't know how the figure is in other industrialized countries, but more women read more often than men. More often than not, female writers can please female readers better than male writers can.

And, almost all of my favorite authors are male. :P Not sure why.

Maybe girls are more idealistic. Girl's want to be something poetic, when they're young, like a writer or a dancer. Guys generally lean towards football player, say, or something else physical. (steryotyping much? Sorry, don't know any other way to put it . . .) It goes back to that 'communication thing'.

But that's just when you're younger. By the time you're published, you've weeded out all the fakers.

Not necessarily true. Hahahaha. As of late, I've discovered how bad more and more published books are. xD

maybe it's not the "macho" image...maybe it's simply that girls want their writing shown publicly more than guys do? I'm pretty sure girls are naturally more social than guys, so they want to get what they do "out there," so to speak, where guy writers wouldn't care either way.

as for me...it's kinda funny, I've never had a definite "girly" username. all my nicks have been gender-neutral...most people think I'm a guy at first. it's pretty funny when they realize they're wrong.

Well, my username makes me sound like an anime kid, so it's easy to tell I'm a girl.

That could be true. A lot of girls are very social. I don't consider myself an extrovert by any means, but, for some, it might make it easier for them to show their writing to others.

Mines too cutsy - I sound 'girl' right away.

Herm... well, maybe I should change my name to Strawberry Peach Cream Cream Puff Love Pony Rainbow Dolphin.

What! Excuse me! At least keep part of your identity! It should be Burnt Strawberry Peach Cream Cream Puff Love Pony Rainbow Dolphin. Please.

hehehe. *high five*

Come to think of it, growing up I wasn't much of a girl, but I turned 20 last Monday and thought, "hey, wait a minute..."

I think I'm a fair mixture. I don't act particularly feminine as far as clothing, interests or image goes (about in the middle of the gender spectrum, really), but, in personality, I am quite female - or, at least, I conform to today's standard of females.

I'm a guy on here, new...but all the same a guy. And im hetrasexual so that doesn't apply. But yeah my name kinda would suggest otherwise, long story how I came to that. And I'd consider myself a 'macho' guy as someone put it, I'm not exactly arty too much, I just like writing poetry and the internet (don't we all) so this site's perfect for that reason.

As regards why it's generally girls though, i'd pretty much say it's because they're the people that aren't afraid to express themselves, generally writing is considered a more girly attribute as it is, at least within the average age of the world's community which visits this sort of forum. So yeah, it wouldn't surprise me that a large majority of them are actually girls.

-YWL

I'm not sure all girls are unafraid to express themselves. I certainly know I'm terrified of it, writer or not.

Yeah, I think it's more of an individual difference than a gender difference. I have a problem with people I know reading my stuff, but here, I don't care. Id say maybe it's the unexpressive people that end up here but that's not the case either. Maybe there's more girls because girls are more proactive about these things.

Come to think of it, growing up I wasn't much of a girl, but I turned 20 last Monday and thought, "hey, wait a minute..."". . . I really should get that operation soon, shouldn't I?"

Sorry. It was too easy to resist. ^^

Happy birthday Bread! You're an oldy-moldy Bread now! I think we've said that before . . .

Yeah, I think it's more of an individual difference than a gender difference. I have a problem with people I know reading my stuff, but here, I don't care. Id say maybe it's the unexpressive people that end up here but that's not the case either. Maybe there's more girls because girls are more proactive about these things.

Again, I think everyone who writes has some deep down desire to express themselves. And anyone who comes on the forums definitely has the desire. Maybe it's just which forums you frequent. This forum is modded by a girl (and Moko) so there's more girls? I'm grasping at straws here. I guess basically I agree.

Nice to meet you, YoursWithLove!

Kumquat, if it was moderated by a boy I'm sure we'd have just as many girls around, maybe more. xDDD Males are quite an incentive for girls to post.

". . . I really should get that operation soon, shouldn't I?"

actually, that's exactly what happened!

xDDD Males are quite an incentive for girls to post.

Wow. Puberty sure does hit fast and hard.

I didn't mean in my case. -.-

actually, that's exactly what happened!

. . . I think I've said this before, but Bread, you are my hero. Heroine. Whichever.

Haha, you're right. If the majority of people on here are teenage girls, then a guy-run forum would draw some attention. That's depressing.

Guys apparently have better things to do then sit around on a forum..

Guys apparently have better things to do then sit around on a forum..

I prefer the term 'different', thanks. -shifty eyes-

Dude you're not on this like all day.

Basically, I am. xD I can easily say I spend at least six hours a day on the internet.

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