Editor's Note: This story is part of Southwest Michigan Second Wave's Voices of Youth Battle Creek program which is supported by the BINDA Foundation, City of Battle Creek, Battle Creek Community Foundation, and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

Voices of Youth Battle Creek Participant Pumpkin King, 16, chose to explore societal expectations on a variety of topics, from beauty standards and racial bias to economic pressures and gender norms. Her multi-media project features digital art with an accompanying poem, along with some reflection on the topic within the artwork captions.

"During this project, I noticed I spent a lot of time wanting to make everything just right," writes Pumpkin. "At the same time though, I had a lot of fun expressing my version of each societal norm. It really helped me put into perspective how I truly felt about these things, and I know myself more than I did before now. It was a fantastic project to work on and I’m very happy with what I came up with."

Beauty Standards: A sad, malnourished person with their dark skin melting off to reveal their flesh. There is also an x-ray that shows what the “end goal” will be.

BLEACHER'S KIN

Don’t eat until it’s fixed
No one wants to see you wearing a shirt for the thin

Good lord, cover it up
No one wants to see your disgusting, black pores


Did you listen to me before?
No one likes an unfair, dark shade


Why is it so hard?
We expect so little from you

Once your skin is gone
The problem will be fixed

We can bare to see the empty shell of yourself
Beautiful
Beautiful
Beautiful





Gender Identity: A happy person wearing a split mask where the pieces don’t fit together. There are hands trying to push the mask back together, while keeping the person in a biohazard barrel because the person is considered a hazard or strange.


GOD MAKES NO MISTAKES

I don’t understand
So I’ll keep you unhappy

You don’t have to understand
Just accept me for who I am

I’ve known you my whole life
How do you expect me to change?

It’s because we’re so close
I thought you would always love me

I think you’re being selfish
I can’t just forget what I knew about you

…

This is just a phase
You’ll go back to normal when you’re older

…

I don’t understand
What’s wrong with you?


Interests: Four people who look the same, cutting themselves off from someone who looks different.THE FOOD CHAIN

What are you drawing?
Cool… color… cool… strokes… cool… paint…
Hey, my friend likes you

What are you wearing?
Cute… hair… cute… pants… cute… shirt… cute…
I’ll get that outfit, we’ll match

How are you feeling?
Damn… parents… damn… lonely… damn…
You don’t have friends, huh?

Wouldn’t you want friends?
Try being better, okay?
Fix yourself, for us

Why don’t you have friends?
It’s so weird, just be better
Why won’t you fix it?

I don’t understand
Do you hate yourself that much?
Good, you just waste space

Someone without friends
Doesn’t need to be around us
Leave us alone, now

Get away from us
We don’t want you around, now
No one wants you, now

You’d be better off dead
And with no one to miss you
Gross, fat, ugly freak


Racial Bias: An African American with a question mark afro as well as in other places, with the question marks representing poor representation of black people.JUST A WORD

I always see models
On the TV
And can’t help but wonder
Why don't they look like me?

These advertisements
On my screen
White skin and straight hair
Why don’t they like me?

The next big thing
Our newest idol
Who looks the same as them
And not as I do

I want to be 
The next big thing
Dark skin, curly hair
I have something new to bring

Denial from corporations
Everywhere I flee
And can’t help but wonder
Why can’t they look like me?

Economic Class: A person covered with holes with dollar signs in or near them, as well as some sold signs. There are also lungs with a price tag on them. This person had to sell pieces of themselves to make do.SANITY IS SUICIDE

There are things that I want
They surpass what I need
The people above me
Loaded full of greed

But the things that I need
Become wants too
Because of the greed
They flaunted to me

What if I were rich?
Then I’d be fine
My life, in line
Everything would be perfect

I wouldn’t have to worry
About surviving the next day
To work I wouldn’t hurry
Money comes to me

Forcing people like my current self
To work their a** off
So I can take all their money
When they complan, I’d just scoff

Now I realize
The biggest problem here
The rich and the powerful
Look at us with a sneer

Basic necessities
Are a subscription to life
And if I do not comply
Oh God, I’ll die



Author's Note: My name is Pumpkin King. I’m 16 and I like video games, cats, and drawing, of course