Alli, Annie, Hannah and Berit, all 13, before the first big party of the seventh grade, Edina, Minn.
"Whether you think clothes are important sort of places you in a group. Our group has their own kind of fashion–laid–back, clean–cut outfits. We shop at about six different stores, and we all keep up with the trends.
Our group tends to wear a lot more makeup than other people. I don't want to look trashy. I try to look natural. (When I was getting ready, I was wondering) if I should spend a long time worrying about my hair or if I should just put it up and bring a ponytail holder and not care, because I knew by the end of the night it wouldn't matter. And with my makeup, it was the same deal. Should I spend a long time on it? Would it be all blended in by the end of the night? Would it really matter?
A lot of girls (at the party) were making a big deal about things that teenage girls make a big deal out of, like guys. They might be ignored by their boyfriend, or they might be flirting with someone else.
I had been going out with Jeff, and he's kind of popular, too. I know this sounds really shallow, but people told me it's kind of like the Barbie-and-Ken relationship. At our school, being popular is, for a girl, looking the best, having the best clothes, being liked by a lot of the guys. And for the guys, it's being kind of the 'jack,' having a whole bunch of girls chasing after you.
This year, relationships are getting a lot more meaningful. Last year, (Jeff and I) went out and we didn't know each other that well. But this year, we were like best friends. When you've got a serious relationship with a guy at thirteen, it means you can really, really relate to him.
I've been approached by people who think I'm older. Maybe because of the makeup, the way I dress, and, generally, the way I loot makes me kind of uncomfortable, because I might look older than I actually am, but underneath it all, I'm only thirteen. It's kind of scary. It's a hard feeling to not know where you fit in yet."