AcknowledgementsA lanky fifth grader stands in her swimsuit with her toes curled over the edge of the highest diving board at the university pool, the one made for adults. She is big enough, but not brave enough; trembling, she considers turning back.
From the edge of the pool, her homeroom teacher offers an encouraging thumbs-up. The child takes a deep breath and leaps into the deep end, holding her nose with her fingers.
As she swims to the ladder, giddy with adrenaline, she hears the lifeguard say, “She’s only eleven? I’d kill to have that body. That one will be a model for sure.” The fifth grader feels like could die of embarrassment.
Almost six feet tall by age eleven, she is already used to having her body commented on by adults. She is used to being catcalled and being told she i
