KIDS TEASE HER FOR BEING SKINNY

Dear Jellybean,

All of the kids at school-except for my few friends-make fun of me because I am extremly skinny. I am 13, 5 foot 7 inches,and I weigh about 98 pounds. I only weigh that much because I am so tall. I wear a size 0-2 in pants and a small in shirts! Almost every one at school knows me by "anerestic girl" and most of them do'n't even know my real name-just "anerestic girl". I've researched on the eating disorder, but nothin' seems to help. Please Help!!!!!
-Super Skinny

Dear Super Skinny,

It's really tough to get teased for anything - especially when you can't change how you look. We all know the inside is more important because those things never change, but your body will be changing your whole life. So what to do about the teasing? Often the people who tease you the most are actually jealous of something about you. It takes a lot, but those ones you have to ignore. They are not your friends and who would want friends like that anyway? Not you. Hopefully, you have some friends that are good to you, so see if you can confide in them that these things that people are saying are hurting you. It helps sometimes to say it aloud. Teasing back encourages teasers, so don't bother doing that. Probably the best thing to do is ignore people, or roll your eyes as if to say, "Yeah, whatever!"

As for you being a skinny girl, the first thing I would say is: Give it some time. You may very well have a curvaceous body in your future. You are only 13, and some people keep on growing and developing well into their late teens and even their twenties. Meanwhile, exercise and eating a lot can sometimes increase curviness. Just make sure you're eating good food and not a lot of junk.

Padded bras can go a long way toward making you look curvy up top, but embracing your looks - just the way they are - is even better. I know it can be hard to remember if you're being teased, or feeling social pressure to be rounder, but there's nothing wrong with being naturally slim! There are probably lots of girls who would love to have your figure, including maybe some of the girls you're comparing yourself to.

You might also want to consider joining a team or something where you can use your smaller size to your advantage, such as long distance running or biking - the smallest are often the fastest because you need to be light. And lastly, like every other challenge this will go away, you will grow so keep your sense of humor and have fun with lots of good friends.

Remember, there's something to recommend about every kind of body. And it's the same for what attracts others: Different people like different looks. You might want to check out what girls have to say on the Myjellybean Chat Boards, especially on the "Body Gripes" board. (If you're not a member, get your free username and password by clicking "Register" near the top-left of the boards page).