LOLA

LOVE

It’s a girl thing

By

Lisa Clark

Big hearts and sparkly tiaras to…

All the totes amazing Pink Ladies who read the books, visit the website and message and mail both Lola and I – WE HEART YOU!

Angel boy Burt – love you x

Carrie and Jacqui, The girls from Shampoo – for being the most fabulous inspir-o girls in my teendom years – Viva La Megababes!

Mrs Mclaren and Mr Clarke – the best teachers. Ever.

Susie and Izzi – so, we didn’t rule the school? Pah! Look at us now – we rock n’ rule!

Just Seventeen magazine for teaching me everything ‘bout the big P when I was a teen girl.

Claire-bear Boxall and Clairey Brown-Smith for making life as an awkward teen girl in the world totally do-able with fbs, photo swaps, phat mail and pages and pages of boyband chatter. Happy days.

Take That – the absolute best reason for being a teen girl in the 90s. Fact.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Your ‘It’s a Girl Thing!’ Bag of Fabulousness

So, What Do You Know?

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

What’s Happening?

What’s the Hurry?

Why Being a Girl Rocks…

Celebrate Girlsville

Being a Girl

Hair – Why is it There?

Fuzz Free – the Facts

Skin Deep

Spot Check

Ask the Bod Squad!

Try this: Bella’s Banana Blemish Buster

Stress = An Unhappy You

Smile – You’re Bee—yoou—tiful!

Life with a Smile Enhancer – The Facts

Don’t Sweat It!

Bo Bashing

What’s Normal Down There?

Periods

Take a Dip!

The Bod Squad’s Yummy Honey Ice-Cream Bubble Bath Recipe

Your Period Cycle. The It’s A Girl Thing Circle of Your Cycle!

Fame Your Period Pain

The Bod Squad’s Bella Explains Everything…

Got Questions About that Time of the Month? The Bod Squad are Here to Help!

My Lumps, My Lovely Ladybumps!

Boobs: The Facts

Boob Worries, Busted!

Measure Up!

What’s Your Bra Size?

Blush-Free Bra Shopping

Work your Ladybumps

What you Might Notice About Lads….

Banish the Blush

Cringe!

Deal with the Cringe

It’s a Wrap!

Copyright

About the Publisher

Introduction

Being a girl in the world can be tough stuff, chica. Fact.

One minute you’re brushing your Barbie doll’s hair, the next you’re diggin’ on the totally cute guitar-playin’ dude in the year above. Sigh.

That’s not all, both your body and mind go through some pretty dramatic changes at a helluva crazy speed too. This, sweet thing, is your puberty makeover.

Now, I heart a makeover as much as the next chica, but ladybumps, mood-swings, hair sprouting here and there and periods? Well, there ain’t no denying that they can be a complete head-mess. Whether your big P makeover is exciting, embarrassing, irritating or anxiety-inducing, don’t freak out, the Pink Ladies and I have everything you need to make it as stress-free as possible. How?

Well, punk princess and Pink Lady Bella, who is a whole lot older than us, she’s 17 which is like, practically a grown up – has completed her big P makeover and is the coolest mix of agony aunt, big sister and glossy girl ‘zine in a rockgirl package. She’s got the puberty 101 and together, ‘coz yep, we’re feeling it too sister, we’ll make sure you’re totally clued up about the whole big P makeover; it is a girl thing after all!

Love and pink lemonade bubbles,

Your ‘It’s a girl thing!’ bag of fabulousness

There’s no right or wrong way to go through this whole puberty lark, however, armed with your ‘It’s a girl thing!’ bag of fabulousness, it will inevitably be a whole lot less stressy, promise!

Peppermint tea–soothing, relieves bloating, caffeine-free and the perfect chill out tonic–ahhh.

Pampering treats–Because soaking in a bath not only makes you feel and look fabulous, sweet smelling products banish bad body odour too–yay!

Chocolate–well, why not?

Pink leg warmers–to wear while taking a brisk walk to the shop–exercise will make your body’s natural pain killers kick-in if you’ve got bad belly pains.

Pink fluffy hot water bottle–If you can’t bear to leave the sofa, sitting with a hot water bottle on your turn can work wonders and is really rather cute too.

So, what do you know?

Don’t stress if you don’t know exactly what’s going on, you most deffo won’t be the first girl in history to find puberty something right out of Scaryville, I know I did! Neither will you be the first to lie awake at night fretting that you’re the only girl in class that doesn’t wear a bra yet, just ask Pink Lady, Sadie…The trick is to Think Pink. Why?

Because Pink-Thinkin’ chicks get clued-up about their bodies and what’s going on inside. It’s a fact that the more you know, the less confusing, surprising and embarrasing this whole hazy, crazy growing up stuff will seem! Ready?

Your boobs can be tender, sore and itchy during puberty

To get rid of body odour you should keep yourself clean and wash under your arms every day

Any hair that you shave will grow back much thicker

No two boobs are alike

Boys are just as self-conscious during puberty as girls

If you answered ‘true’ to 3 or more of the statements above…

You are sussed, sista! You know how puberty’s body makeover will affect you and you’re ready for action–go girl!

If you answered ‘false’ to 3 or more of the statements above…

No worries sweet thing, the Pink Ladies and I are gonna fill you in on everything from periods to ladybumps, because when you know what’s happening to your body and why, you’ll be much less likely to fret about it in the future, okay?

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

As you know I’m a pink-thinking chica on a daily basis and while I dig who I am and know I’m no ugly duckling, there are still times, even with all the pink thinking in the world, when I feel like one. Sound familiar?

Blame the hormones.

Hormones are the chemicals your body produces to transform your sweet self from a young girl to a woman. These body changes can take years to unfold and take hold–yawn–and while there will deffo be some changes you’ll like, there’s a chance there will also be some that you won’t.

Yes, this is rude and wrong, but unfortunately, chica, it is factuality.

If, like me, you’re feeling a li’l bit messy and stressy about all this big P stuff, then hold up, because Bella is our ‘big P go-to’ about all things girl. She is the tiara-wearing princess of the bod squad–that’s us btw–and together, we’ll be answering all the need-to-know questions that you’re too scared or embarrassed to ask–for the record though, NO question is ever too silly–I mean, how’s a girl ever to become the most feisty, fun, fearless and fabulous girl in all of girlsville if she doesn’t ask questions, eh?

What’s happening?

So, Bella, what exactly is puberty anyway?

“…GIRLS, GIRLS, GIRLS…CHILL YOUR BOOTS–OR WHATEVER FOOTWEAR YOU’RE CURRENTLY WORKING–THIS PUBERTY LARK SEEMS MUCH BIGGER AND SCARIER THAN IT ACTUALLY IS.

HONEST.

IN FACT, ONCE YOU REALISE WHAT’S GOING ON, IT’S ACTUALLY A FUNNY KIND OF EXCITING. LET ME EXPLAIN…BASICALLY, PUBERTY IS WHEN YOUR BODY GETS A SERIOUS UPGRADE IN PREPARATION FOR BECOMING A WOMAN. COOL EH? YOU DEVELOP LADYBUMPS, YOUR HIPS BECOME WIDER AND YOU START YOUR PERIODS (MENSTRUAL CYCLE). WHILE ALL THIS IS GOING ON, YOUR HORMONES CAN ACT ALL KINDS OF CRAZY, WHICH CAN LEAVE YOU FEELING HAPPY, SAD, TEARFUL AND ANXIOUS ALL AT THE SAME TIME.

NOT SO COOL.

NOW, ALTHOUGH THE CHANGES THAT ARE HAPPENING TO YOUR BODY MAY SEEM SUPER SCARY, IT’S ALL COMPLETELY NORMAL, I PROMISE. I WAS FREAKED WHEN I SHOT UP TO GIRAFFE GIRL HEIGHT OVERNIGHT BUT THEN HAD TO WAIT FOR WHAT FELT LIKE FOREVER FOR SOMETHING, ANYTHING, THAT RESEMBLED BOOBS TO APPEAR.

Y’SEE, YOUR BIG P MAKEOVER IS TOTALLY UNIQUE TO YOU AND CAN KICK IN AT ANY TIME BETWEEN THE AGES OF EIGHT AND SEVENTEEN. THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT EVERYONE GOES THROUGH IT, JUST NOT NECESSARILY AT THE SAME TIME. SO DON’T PANIC IF YOUR GAL PALS START DEVELOPING BEFORE YOU–IT’S NOT A RACE, Y’KNOW!…”

Why does my mood flip from happy to sad without warning?

Are you on top of the world in the morning, depressed over lunch and angry in the evening? It’s those pesky hormones again!

Science bit: Any changes in the level of oestrogen and progesterone hormones (these are the hormones you produce to keep your periods in check), can cause major irritability and mood swings and make you feel like you’re riding an out-of-control rollercoaster.

Bod squad tip: Pink-thinkin’ girls have a mood switch, something that will flick those dullsville clouds outta the sky and replace them with sunshine and sparkles! Lola keeps a journal to help her clear her messy, stressy head, I play guitar ‘til my fingers are sore, Sadie creates a DIY craft-girl sensation with needle and thread and Angel will devour a glossy magazine from cover to cover.

What’s your mood switch?

Make a list of all the things that will turn your frown upside down, and keep it nearby for the next time your mood takes a nosedive!

I spend ages looking at myself in the mirror and comparing myself to my mates. Is this normal?

Of course it is! The big ‘P’ causes so many changes, it’s hard not to feel self-conscious about your bod or compare yourself with others. The important thing is not to get hung up about it. Instead, have fun with your appearance and get to know and love the person you are becoming–you and your body are going to be together for the long haul, so it makes sense to become the best of friends, right?

What’s the hurry?

I want ladybumps, I want to be kissed, I want to wear a bra…I WANT IT NOW.

I have ladybumps. Sadie has none. This makes her sad. I want to be allowed out later than 8pm like Bella, and Angel wants to wear movie star-esque make-up to school.

We’re all in such a rush to do or get the things we think will make our lives substantially better, that we sometimes forget to enjoy just being a girl in the world.

That’s the effect of puberty y’know.

One day you think you want to be grown up, the next you want to revert back to playing with dolls, although according to Bella, you’ll still feel like this at 17! In fact, she thinks it’s totally cool to play with Barbie. She has an entire collection and super-styles their do’s by cutting mohawks and giving them purple streaks!

But, if the thought of periods scares you, yet you want to wear a bra, you’re not alone, chica.

At Angel’s super-swanky boarding school, some of the older girls persuaded her to bunk school and hang out with the boys from the equally swanksville boys’ school across town. Angel thought it might be cool.

She was wrong, wrong, wrong.

“…SO, I HEAD INTO TOWN TO HANG WITH SOME MAJOR LEAGUE CUTIES, RIGHT? AND YEP, THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT THEY WERE.

ESPECIALLY AARON. HE WAS CUTENESS WITH A SUPER-SIZED CHERRY ON THE TOP. HE TOLD ME I LOOKED HOT. I ACCEPTED HIS COMPLIMENT WITH A SMILE, THEN HE TRIED TO KISS ME. ‘WOAH, DUDE, NOT SO FAST’ I HOLLERED.

WHO DID HE THINK HE WAS? FOR SURE, I THOUGHT HE WAS CUTE, BUT I’VE ONLY EVER KISSED ONE BOY AND I WILL NOT KISS ANOTHER UNTIL I DECIDE.

Y’SEE, THAT’S THE THING ABOUT THIS PUBERTY LARK, JUST BECAUSE I HAVE BOSOMS AND A CURVY BEE-HIND DOESN’T MEAN I’M READY FOR ALL THINGS SMOOCHY SMOOCHES. YET I DO LIKE TO DIG ON BOYS, JUST FROM A DISTANCE.

I TOLD HIM POLITELY THAT I WAS NOT A GIRL THAT WOULD SIMPLY JUST KISS HIM, AND DO YOU KNOW WHAT? HE TOTALLY DUG ON THAT.

HE EVEN SENT ME A TEXT TELLING ME HOW MUCH RESPECT HE HAD FOR ME NOT HEADING TO SMOOCH-TOWN WITH HIM.

AS HE SHOULD, I AM A PINK-THINKIN’ PINK LADY OF FABULOUSNESS AFTER ALL!…”

The transition from girls’ world to womansville is not easy, chica, so don’t rush it. The urge to grow up quickly and do everything right now may seem mucho tempting, but don’t miss out on being a girl in the world. Because let’s face it, being a girl rocks.

Why being a girl rocks…

There are a million zillion reasons why being a girl rocks.

An ability to accessorise, being able to watch Audrey, Marilyn and Jane Mansfield movies back to back and wearing pink on a daily basis are just a few of my personal favourites, but what about you? What makes you feel jump-in-the-air happy that you’re a girl?

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