Don't Judge a Book by its Cover

It was the first day of fourth grade and I thought I was the coolest cat in the alley. Lunch time came around so I eagerly ran to the lunch line, got my lunch, and found a spot at the table designated for my class. As I was eating my lunch, I looked around and, in utter disgust, realized there was a new girl sitting at my table. I picked apart everything I possibly could about her. She was wearing an ugly black sweater with baggy jeans, and she had red hair as well, which at the time I thought was ugly too. From the start I tagged her as a loser and had no doubt in my mind that we would never be friends. I glared at her in hopes that she would see me and know exactly what I was thinking. As time went by, we maintained our distance and I made sure to glare at her every day.

One day, she decided to come talk to me at lunch. I was extremely reluctant to be nice, however, I was. She went on to tell me a little bit about herself, and before I even noticed we were telling each other stories and laughing uncontrollably. She ended up asking me to hang out and I decided to take her up on the offer.

From that day on, we sat together every day at lunch. We were inseparable and to this day we remain really close friends. I cannot imagine my life without her and the lessons she has taught me. I look back now and I realize I judged the book by the cover. I knew absolutely nothing about her, but in the beginning I hated her. I had no intentions of ever hanging out with her because of what she looked like the first day I saw her.

It is really easy to judge people before you get to know them and as much as I have tried to not do it after that situation I still find myself doing it sometimes. Looks have virtually nothing to do with what people have to offer. Who someone is on the inside is much more beautiful and meaningful than who someone is on the outside. Looks can only go so far in relationships and it is important to not judge a book by its cover. I learned an extremely valuable lesson from this situation and I will hold her dear to my heart forever. We look back now and laugh at what I thought of her, however, it still bothers me that I was so quick to judge. Not only do I now think she is beautiful on the outside, but her heart and soul is what I value most about her.

Intro to Commonplace

Sexy is an extremely controversial word and has different meaning to different people. What people view as 'sexy' has dramatically changed over time. Society as a whole has altered sex appeal, beauty, and what they entail drastically. A woman's body used to be viewed as a temple that deserved worship and respect. Today, a woman's body is viewed as more of just something to have sex with. Years ago, and I mean several years ago, it use to be seen as disrespectful to show an excessive amount of skin in public. For most women, their body was to be seen by only their loved ones. As decades fade away, so do the layers of clothes on women. The pressure for more clothes to come off has become increasingly detrimental to the female population.

Jersey Shore

When I first saw the preview for "The Jersey Shore," I laughed. However, to my dismay, I look back now and admit I watched every episode. This show is a new phenomenon in America. It gives the term "guido" a far greater meaning than ever before. "The Jersey Shore" brought 8 proud italians to one house and let them wreak havoc on each other for part of the summer. The season was filled with italian food, fighting, sex, and lots of drama.

Television has really started to belittle the traditional values of respect, dignity, and maintaining a level of class. Reality shows have taken over television and they only fill viewers' minds with nonsense and drama. It is also scary that viewers of these dirty shows are becoming younger and younger. Television can have a huge influence on people's behavior and what is socially acceptable. These shows are really influencing the younger generation to think that fighting and acting immature is acceptable behavior. These reality shows put a huge emphasis on hooking up, sex, going out, and getting trashed every night. This can and will be very detrimental to young viewers.



I find it crude and disturbing that young people around America are intrigued by the things portrayed in this hit show, however, I am one of these people. For some odd reason, it is interesting to watch other people fight, dance, and party. Perhaps, it is out of jealousy. I know for a fact people think it is more acceptable to spike and gel their hair and "fist pump" at parties. I have experienced it at several parties after the show was released. There has even been "Jersey Shore" themed parties here at Ohio State.

This show made girls and guys around the world reconsider what is attractive. Gaudy jewelry, teased hair, and extremely fake tans have now become the popular look for our generation. "The Jersey Shore" has really glorified "guidos" and has changed their reputation forever. Even though I will admit I watched every episode of the first season of "The Jersey Shore," I disagree with the messages portrayed in the show. Getting in fights every night, getting trashed, and hooking up with random people in hot tubs while having it filmed is not classy nor respectable.

Saving the Rainforest

Whether you have been to a rainforest or not, whenever you hear that word people usually associate it with beauty and exoticness. Rainforests are not only breathtakingly gorgeous, but are very important to the ecology of the world. Rainforests are responsible for 28% of the oxygen turn over in the world. Rainforests are the havens for millions of plants and animals as well. They actually are accountable for about 75% of the world's plants and animals.


You would think such a beautiful aspect of Earth would be appreciated and admired, but in actuality the case is the exact opposite. Rainforests once covered 14% of of the earth's land surface, but now only cover a little over 6%. The majority of people do not know this because North America does not consist of any rainforests, however, this does not make this an issue to look over and throw away.


Almost every person has taken prescription drugs atleast once in their lifetime. However, most people are unaware that over 120 prescription drugs worldwide are directly made from rainforest plants. Two-thirds of all medicines that contain cancer-fighting properties come from rainforest plants also. When rainforests are destroyed, which they are every day, we lose more than just a beautiful picutre to look at. Rainforest destruction is increasing rapidly, mostly due to logging operations. Telephone poles, for example, are made from trees in the rainforest. If you notice, there are telephone poles everywhere.



It only takes one person at a time to make a change. Everyone makes a difference. Not only does destroying rainforests destroy a beautiful aspect of nature, but it destroys homes for millions of species. Indirectly, it even affects you individually as well. Rainforests are extremely important to our world and they are disappearing daily. In a sense we are losing our perspective. Pretty soon our world is just going to be a slab of concrete full of grey, and metal skyscrapers.

Flaws or Fake?

Plastic surgery has become more and more of an obsession as our technology progresses. There is a considerble amount of different cosmetic procedures and enhancements out there today. It is obvious that it is "hot" to have big and perky boobs, a big butt, and a perfect nose. The natural aging process is becoming less and less acceptable. People will go to extreme measures to look as young as they can and as skinny as they can for as long as they can. Plastic surgery research says that since 1997, there has been a 162% increase in cosmetic surgeries just in the United States.

The question arises, "Flaws or Fake?" So many celebrities have become accustomed to getting plastic surgery; therefore, it has become more and more popular and acceptable. For some people, having procedures done is part of their regular routine. Everyone wants to look like the Hollywood stars, so they follow what those stars do, which is to get plastic surgery. Just in 2008 alone Americans spent 11.8 billion dollars on cosmetic surgeries. What happened to the idea that aging is beautiful?

Altering our bodies is what has become beautiful nowadays. Everyone wants bigger boobs, smaller noses, smaller stomachs, and no wrinkles. The idea of appreciating what you are given is fading away. Instead of looking beneath the surface and appreciating what the human body is capable of, we judge it by its cover. As we evolve, so does our idea of beauty. Plastic surgery has helped to evolve the idea of a beautiful body.

I want to raise the question to everyone, "Flaws of Fake?" What is beautiful?

If you would like to see some statistics about plastic surgery here is a link: http://www.cosmeticplasticsurgerystatistics.com/statistics.html