Catherine Bullock — Third prize, Year 13 Orthotropics

Orthotropics

everyone has that one type of video to fall back on late at night procrastinating something to numb your mind for some, it’s moon landing conspiracies for some, it is graphic medical dramas for me, it’s this weird thing called Orthotropics the theory that if you press your tongue onto the roof of your mouth your bone structure changes your teeth won’t become cluttered and your face thus becomes..... more attractive I watch before and after videos and how-tos I promise I’ve tried to find people who tell me that it’s wrong unscientific unethical …….......but I haven’t found any maybe I haven’t tried hard enough

I fantasise about the idea of having perfect teeth about my smile I smile so much, it might as well look good

I am trapped by the metal bound to my teeth it feels like it’s bound to my mind I used to have panic attacks about the concept of someone shifting the bones in my skull now I have panic attacks because someone is shifting the bones in my skull I am scared that he will move my wrinkly, wrinkly brain

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I wonder why the brain is so wrinkly because it feels like someone had taken a hair straightener and used it..... to fix my mind to make it soft smooth round

oh, to have a bouncy ball for a brain decisions are too complicated complex numbers are incomprehensible

— Catherine Bullock, Wellington Girls' College

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