Five Random Things I've Never Really "Gotten":
#1: "NKOTB" and "boy bands" in general
That's just not my style of music. Besides, I thought the NKOTB guys were gross (and wasn't shy about saying so, I'm afraid). New Kids on the Block were big when I was in about the 5th and 6th grades. I was one of (I think) only two girls in our class who didn't swoon over them. (You'd be surprised how big a deal that sort of thing can be for girls at that age. It certainly played a role in who I spent time with and how I related to my female classmates for years to come.) I still haven't completely forgiven NKOTB for existing. ;o)
#2: Waxing
Nope, just not worth it-- not by a long shot. Give me a good old-fashioned razor instead. (Maybe this is TMI. Oh well.) Many women say something silly like, "This is the price we pay for beauty. Bring it on!" (followed by the sound of hair being ripped from follicles-- and a stifled scream)... to which I reply, "I'm beautiful enough as I am, thanks all the same." (Well, as beautiful as I'm going to get, waxing or no waxing.)
#3: Sunbathing / Tanning Beds
I probably have my mother to thank for this. (And no, I'm not being sarcastic. Seriously, thanks, Mom.) She taught us young that cigarettes and sunbathing (among other things) were Bad For You. We used sunscreen at the beach-- so on and so forth. Result: I've never been tempted in the least to sunbathe or use a tanning bed.
(Some might argue that this isn't much of a feat, since my natural skin tone isn't that light. Maybe... But I never understood why people thought being pale was a bad thing. In fact, I've sometimes felt that those who hold out milky arms and legs, bemoaning their lack of a tan, might actually be fishing for compliments on their perfectly creamy complexions. *shrug*)
#4: SPAM & Pop-Ups
No, I don't love the edible SPAM, either, but what I really meant was computer SPAM-- and those incredibly annoying pop-up ads that some sites still persist in having. I know in theory that the reason they exist is that someone, somewhere is clicking and buying the junk in the ads, but I just don't get WHY anyone would do so. WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE??
#5: Disease/Death-Centric Novels
You know the ones I mean? Novels in which the main character or his/her love interest (or his/her family member or close friend) has a very limited life expectancy-- and that's the whole point of the book, apparently. For examples, look at practically anything Lurlene McDaniel has ever written. With titles like Mother, Please Don't Die... Don't Die, My Love... If I Should Die Before I Wake... She Died Too Young... Sixteen and Dying... and Why Did She Have to Die, how can you go wrong?
I recognize that there may be a need for this type of book... When an adolescent has to deal with serious disease or death in her own life, she may benefit from reading about similar situations and how characters deal with them. One could even argue that reading such books gives those as yet untouched by tragedy a better sense of what her friends may go through. ...But the thing is, most of the teen/pre-teen girls I knew who read those types of titles didn't seem to be doing it for therapeutic reasons or to gain greater empathy. They just liked the melodrama. I, on the other hand, did not. Nor do I now. This is one of the reasons I don't watch medical dramas-- and if I start reading a book, only to discover that it's going to focus on something so utterly depressing, my first instinct is to get rid of the horrible thing ASAP.
(One exception: The Blue Castle, by L.M. Montgomery. But that one doesn't really count, for reasons I can't go into without spoiling the whole book.)
