Title: Not A Real Girl

Creator:  Pippa Russell

Category: Body

Creator Commentary:

I submitted this piece under the category of the body because the speaker’s focus is on the physical appearance of the girl the speaker is observing, specifically her beauty. The subject is both this girl’s perceived perfection and how it acts as a wall between her and the speaker. The underlying tension of the poem lies in the fact that the girl described matches the speaker’s expectations and standards, but the observations of beauty are presented as false and misleading by the speaker. The poem fits under the broader theme of illusion because there is deception within the piece, whether one considers that to be a lack of genuine perception by the speaker, or the need for deception by the girl described. The experience of the speaker is meant to be surreal, and it’s clear that the speaker doesn’t know what is actually happening inside the girl’s head. The entire encounter is colored by the speaker’s opinions and perceptions, and because of this there are two sources of deception within the piece: the girl and the speaker. Additionally, the gender of the speaker is left ambiguous because there are different ways to relate to femininity and the honesty of it depending on gender, and the meaning of the poem can change depending upon who you picture is speaking.

Submission:

View Submission

Creator Bio:

Pippa Russell is a writer, swimmer, and seasoned Netflix addict. She majors in Television Writing and Production and spends most of her spare time writing poetry or short stories.