“Senior Picture Day”: Beauty Standards and the Struggle to Fit In Anonymous College

It is difficult to justify irrational acts—after all, they are irrational. Thus, perhaps it may seem bizarre to most people that the narrator in “Senior Picture Day” feels the need to regularly squeeze her nose, purely to change its appearance. Of course, teenagers have always been known to do unusual things by nature. However, irrational acts can also be attributed to external factors, not just to the inexperience that accompanies youthfulness. In the case of the narrator, her daily nose-squeezing is spurred by hurtful comments made by her best friend Terri. The reason that the narrator feels the need to squeeze her nose is to fit a certain standard of beauty that doesn’t construe Indian-like facial features as attractive, one that Terri would approve of.

The standard of beauty in the narrator’s case is established based on her location. She lives in California, and accordingly identifies as a Californian. In fact, she reflects this identity in her desired CB handle, as she tells Terri: “When we were in her room, I told her I had decided on Cali Girl as my handle” (31). Terri immediately questions this choice, reminding the narrator of her heritage and describing her own idea of Californian beauty standards: “But you’re...