Sweet & Sour Girls

Photo by Thomas Lottermoser

Like the famous condiment of Chinese take-out fame, girls can be both sweet and sour. There are babydoll girls with bright pink bedrooms and Disney-printed sheets, girls with closets full of the most sparkling champagne dresses and shoes to match, timid girls with magazine cut-outs of supermodels and life-sized Barbies glued to the walls, and girls who spend Saturday mornings on their backs in the front yard, dreaming about boys with surfer bodies and clashing guitars. Then there are girls who slosh around at ska shows like fizzy soda inside a bottle and girls who laugh too loud at dirty jokes and girls who dye their hair the sleekest shade of royal blue and girls who think that the only boys for them are the boys with fast cars and even faster hearts.

There are the sweet girls with their bubble gum charms – and there are the sour girls with their boisterous pop. But what if being true to yourself means being both sweet and sour? What if you live out life like a sweetheart while deep down inside you're screaming to be a bit more sour? The truth of the matter is that life is never cut and dry - we all have a little sweetness and a little spunk to us and that's what makes us wonderful, but if you're a smarmy doll who wants to be a little less tart (or vice versa), here are some ways to spice things up.

Sweet Girls

Tips for making your life a little sweeter

+ Put aside some space outside and start a personal pan-sized garden. If you live in an apartment or somewhere equally sparse, fill empty yogurt cartons with potting soil and plant herbs or tiny flowers.

+ Cut-out pictures from your favorite fashion magazine and keep them in a journal. Look to it for inspiration whenever you need it.

+ Bake cupcakes to celebrate the little things.

+ Rent all six seasons of Sex and the City and watch them in a week-long marathon. Practice the mannerisms of your favorite character.

+ Pick up sewing. If you already know how to sew, challenge your skills and design a stunning evening dress.

+ Take out an old book of fairy-tales from your local library - read it from cover to cover.

+ Practice kissing until you can officially be considered a professional. Try different flavored lip glosses & balms and pucker up with your sweetie!

Sour Girls

Tips for making your life a little more sour

+ Learn how to swing-dance - or just take to dancing whenever music is playing!

+ Learn to play an instrument you don't already know.

+ Make masquerade masks and wear them to parties or special events. Be sure to add extra feathers and tulle.

+ Go shopping at local vintage clothing stores. Buy the first dress that catches your eye, no matter the price.

+ Make mixtapes and leave them in public places for people to find.

+ Hone in on your poetry skills by keeping a tiny notebook in your purse. Write tidbits of poetry throughout the day as inspiration strikes and present your work at local slams.

+ Participate in a local parade - dress up in your funkiest outfit and strut around like the prom queen.

Stay candy-coated, lovelies!

Always,

Penelope ♥