I loved the atmosphere of the dance studios-the wooden floors, the big mirrors, everyone dressed in pink or black tights, the musicians accompanying us-and the feeling of ritual the classes had.

I loved the atmosphere of the dance studios - the wooden floors, the big mirrors, everyone dressed in pink or black tights, the musicians accompanying us - and the feeling of ritual the classes had.

All of a sudden I'm inside the pimple realizing how grotesque this middle period is in a pimple's life. Before the white gunk emerges, when the pimple is half-internal, half-external. Veins from inside your face taking on a new shape, circling around the round ball like deranged earthworms.

Pink has become as ubiquitous as black. Who would have thought that?

Everything is cleaner. Everything is dressed up. It's a better atmosphere, where it's not so dingy anymore. It's becoming more and more kid-friendly.

I would wear pink because I knew my future was anything but rosy. I would accessorize myself to the hilt, and I would wear flirty shoes because my world needed more beauty to counter all the ugliness in it. I would wear pink because I hated gray, I didn’t deserve white, and I was sick of black.