The secret life of
Leighton Meester Who she really was in high school
You may have noticed Leighton playing Blair Waldorf on gossip girl. Living the upper East Manhattan dream, as a rich kid, ruling her high school playground. But Leighton’s high school experience was far from it.
She was born in jail At the time, Leighton’s mum was in jail for drug smuggling. She was born in a small hospital and nursed by her mum for three months in a halfway house. Her mum had to return to jail to complete her sentence. Her grandma then looked after Leighton, until her mum finished her sentence.
She’s anti bullying After being bullied in high school, Leighton is all the way against bullying. ―I think a really important thing to remember is that whatever side you‘re on, you can never be a bystander. You should always speak up for someone who is being bullied.‖ She’s also hates mean girls, ―Girls can be especially mean and pick on each other for things we can‘t really help, like our looks, which is so silly… I remember in high school, people weren‘t always nice to me— both boys and girls, especially the boys I liked. They would always be so mean to me!‖
She wasn’t popular “I was picked on because I was a four eyed and a dork.” Leighton explains. She was even told by classmates she was „kind of fat‟ and a „dork‟. “one
of them said, „your bigger on TV.‟ And I was like „what do mean?‟ and they said „well, you look kind of fat.‟ Kids are so mean?!” she used to skip school to take drugs with friends out of school. She was never interested in fashion. “it
was a combination of just rolling out of bed and going to class and defying my femineity by wearing sweatshirts with holes in them, never wearing heels or skirts.” Hard to believe it now!
“People weren’t always nice to me.”
She Didn’t Go To Prom Because she hated school so much, she skipped her prom. ―I didn‘t go to my real prom. Prom to me in real life was like, ‗Why would I go?‘, and now looking back I think, ‗Why was I so anti-prom?‘ Back then I didn‘t have money to get a dress or a limo, or anything like that. I didn‘t have a date – not that that matters. I guess I just wasn‘t really into it, you know? Just
So now you know Leighton’s not just a pretty face!
GIRL GANGS 6
Earlier this year, a woman waited innocently for bus in suburban Melbourne. Out of the blue, she was violently attacked by a group of teenage girls. She was beat up, they stole her bag and held a knife to her throat. But this only case. It’s actually one of many.
WHA T IS A GIRL GANG ? A girl gang is usually a violent group of girls around the ages 14- 17 years old. These girls may look nice but are astonishing when they attack. Girl gangs are a relatively new phenomenon is teens so it’s been really popular lately: the number of teens linked to violence and crime increased 58% in the past decade, and physical attacks involving girls rising by about 15% each year since 2005.
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? G N A G Y IN A
WH
Being in a gang can offer a sense of security and belonging. It lets girls hide and pretend to be brave, when really they’re not. If you’re in a gang it’s a warning that something in your life is out of place. This kind of violence means you’re in survival mode. Girls in gangs are often psychologically fragile, and are fighting to be noticed. Popular culture and films, such as ‘kick ass’, support this kind of violence, so it’s easy for them to feel that it’s ok.
WANT TO GE
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T OUT OF A G
ANG?
Getting out of a gang can be hard, but if you don’t you may get yourself in trouble in the future. If you have witnessed or been in a gang fight, you might have trouble leaving because of other members worry that you’ll tell others secret information to others. You may even have threats put on you, so it’s even tougher. Ask an adult you can trust and support, so you that if anything bad goes down, they’ve got your back. It’s very normal to find it near impossible to leave the gang, but you’ll look back on it and be pleased with what you’ve done. Although being in a gang creates a level of belonging, and being part of a gang is who you are. Real friends will support you and your decisions, no matter what side your on.
: S G N A G L A GLOB The Deceptinettes, US this New York girl gang are famous for the ‚one punch knockout‛ with around 50 members targeting innocent people leaving train stations. they carry around baseball bats and hammers, they pride on dressing well so they can charm people with their ladylike act before they get violent. A formal member admitted that the girl gang started after a group of friends were feeling powerless against bullies and started protecting themselves from another group of girls being mean to them. When they figured the power of violence, they went from defending themselves to attacking others.
The PYG (Peckham Young Gunners) Crew, England These girls trademark are their black bandannas and members as young as 10 years old. Last year, a running brawl place in the streets of London, between PYG and another neighbouring gang. Several girls were arrested as the police were called to the scene. The make it into the gang girls have to attack and rob someone. Many members carry knives and casual sex is common between gang members and male members of neighbouring gangs. ‚[Being in a gang] is like a type of protection,‛ says a member ‚My mum works all the time and there’s no one at home, so I don’t feel like I have anyone looking after me really.‛
Harthem Place gang, New Zealand these girls are mostly aged between 14 and 18 years. They like to steal and won’t let anything stand in their way. If you try stop them they get violent- even a 70 year old woman was attacked. They hang around Harthem place shopping centre in Porirua, NZ. ‚they just take what they want,‛ says a shop keeper who’s shop was vandalised by the gang. ‚There’s nothing you can do. If you challenge them, they’ll come back and kick your windows in.‛
Les Chelles, France The gang dresses fashionably but settle disputes about boys with Kitchen Knives and tear gas. If a girl from a neighbouring tries to date a boy in their school or suburb, it’s war! After a recent gang fight in the Parisian suburb of Chelles was aged between 14 to 17 , who were running around with knives and screwdrivers. Even the boys are scared of them. ‚some of the girls are incredibly violent,‛ says a 16-yearold boy. ‚they’re tougher than us. Just the other day a boy was chased all the way around the [school] grounds with a knife. He had to chase up a tree to9 get away from her.
O
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PANLALA 10
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How to fix a friend
At some point in life, we‟ll all get unhappyitis. If your friends have these symptoms, don‟t worry! Here are the tips and tricks to bring her back to life.
Her parents are getting a divorce
She had a bad break up
T
he number one thing for this is to remove all evidence of her ex. Anything shared, listened together or called ‘their’ thing (e.g. ‘their’ song, ‘their’ picture, ‘their’ thing), GET RID OF IT! Monitor her phone habits. Delete her ex from her phone, but if she won’t let you, change the number to yours or convince her to text you instead of sending something pleading or nasty to him. Get her to devote all of her time to you and ‘the girls’. Don’t let her have any time to think about her ex.
D
iaries are perfect for this kind of scenario. Make it yourself and decorate it so it’s made for her. She might experience emotions like anger, guilt, depression and uncertainty, so a diary will be just the thing for her to write it all down. Otherwise a big girly sleepover will help take her mind off it.
She got a bad report
T
here‟s nothing worse than a dud report. Get her ready to show her teacher some brainy brilliance. Be positive and help her study. Pick a day after school your both free, and make it a weekly thing for study time. Do pop quizzes and practise tests. Make sure she‟s super confident for next test. You, her, her teacher and her parents will be pleased with the results.
She’s feeling insecure
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e‟ll all feel insecure at times; usually it can lead to a string of things. If it‟s about he looks, get her a new haircut. Be careful and make sure it‟s one inside her comfort zone. Make it look gorgeous with the curling tong, take a couple of beautiful pictures of her and upload them on Facebook. If it‟s about boys, make her do some awesome one liners without blushing. Make them really cute and cool like „somebody pass me an asthma puffer, coz you took my breath away.‟ Or when he says he‟s feeling hot get her to say „you‟re always hot, even on the coldest days of winter.‟ If she‟s feeling insecure about sport and her fitness, do sport with her. Everything‟s double the fun with friends. Fun sports with friends are running, swimming, gym, tennis, beach volleyball, beach cricket or hit up some circus lessons, a la Blake Lively! Think before booking, circus training isn‟t for the faint hearted. But as soon as you notice she‟s feeling insecure, tell her what an awesome friend she is and why you love her.
Celeb friends of the month: Taylor swift and Selena Gomez! Selena on Taylor: “When I was going through a really hard breakup, she [Taylor] came to my house at 10:30 at night and knocked on my door she had two big bags of junk food, cookies, snickers and soda.”
Taylor and Selena
Taylor on Selena: “she’s like my little sister. She can predict my thoughts; I’ve known her for so long it’s really cool to have a friend that are that close. It’s nice to have somebody I consider trustworthy, a great friend.”
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et yo e m t s r i f ou y d i d e r e Wh t friend? technology bes c o n s ul ti n g
Jasmine tells us if we really do need a best friend No, everybody doesn’t need a best friend because it arises problems with friendships and relationships. One person may feel left out and everybody will think it’s very important to have a best friend. People will be left out and threatened by others; this could lead to bullying and an unfair advantage over others. I say if you’re going to have friends, don’t write them down on a list, just be honest, love your friends, and you’ll blossom.
This months quiz: is she your friend forever Qu. 1: you’re both at a party and you spot a cute guy, she… Helps you get the convo going and leaves you to it. Sticks to your side the entire night. Anything happens, she’s there. Hogs the attention and won’t let you get a word in. Qu. 2: you tell her your crush and make her swear not to tell a soul. She… Sticks to her word. Nobody ever knew. Keeps quite for a while. But after a couple of months she can’t take it and tells her sister… who knows your brother. Eek! Swears to keep hush hush. But somehow everybody seems to know by Monday. Qu. 3: your friend wants you to ask out your crush. You ask him but he says no. your friend…
Qu. 4: you’re at your favourite dress shop and you found something you love. Your friend… Gives you an honest opinion, if it’s hot or not. Rolls her eyes and moves the topic to what she’s planning on buying. Tells you it doesn’t quite fit, then buys it herself Qu. 5: ages ago you both made a pact that boys would never interfere with your friendship. She has a boyfriend now and… She’s completely devoted to you and her boyfriend. You are never disappointed. Your you and her time are sometimes delayed, but you never really think about it… You’ve lost all contact with her. Not even a Facebook poke.
Mostly A’s: Friends forever Never ever loose contact with this girl. She’s a one in a million, and you should definitely love her to bits. If you ever feel you’re falling out with her, continuously catch up with her. You guys are the best of friends. Mostly B’s: For now This chick seems to be bit of a yoyo. Watch out though you never know who’s side she’s on. If you feel it’s going too far, ditch her. You’re always better off without an annoying friend than with