Read and Remix Blog #2: I Once Was Miss America

Roxane Gay’s “I One Was Miss America” expounds upon her personal experiences and struggles as a young black girl growing up in the whitewashed media of American culture. Gay’s piece discusses the role a popular book series played in her childhood, where the Sweet Valley High culture and characters served as an inspiration for Gay, igniting her hopes to become popular, beautiful, and adored by all. The role these books played in Gay’s childhood are representative of nearly everybody’s childhood, especially my own, where books provided an outlet to imagine a different life, one crafted without flaw. This piece touches upon the self-esteem of all young girls growing up, who feel as though their flaws are constantly ridiculed by others and prevent themselves from attaining any meaningful relationships or acknowledgement from their peers. As Gay’s writing continues, she begins to express the emotional transformation she has endured since her childhood, and notes the absurdity of her past beliefs. When a new Sweet Valley High book is published over 10 years later, the author cant help but feel nostalgia and a sense of giddiness for her childhood to be brought back to light. However, as she reads the new novel, she notes the poor taste of the author’s writing abilities, and that the characters are no longer as perfect as they seem. Nonetheless, Gay is still excited to revisit her childhood and place herself back in that era of naivety. Gay’s story ignites many emotions upon her readers, specifically female ones who have undergone similar changes throughout their lives. The piece points out the absurdity of young women pining to be stereotypically beautiful, but acknowledges that these realizations are a necessary element of growing up. Her piece encourages young women to enjoy their childhood, love themselves, and be proud of who they are and where they’ve been. Books, however, allow children to escape their reality for a moment in time, which can be an extremely uplifting experience and provide sanctions from the harsh realities of growing up as a minority.