Reach!

Hands

Keep your hands well groomed so you can put your best fingers forward for meeting and greeting people.

Clean Hands Win!

Keeping your hands clean is your first line of defense against picking up germs and bacteria. Always wash your hands with soap and water after you use the restroom and before you eat. If you have a cold, wash up often—especially after you blow your nose!

Battling Bad Habits

If you bite your nails or suck your thumb or fingers, you’re not alone. The good news is that lots of girls have been able to break their bad habits with one of these tried-and-true tricks:

❑ Hold on to a small object, such as a stone or a ball, to keep your hands busy and out of your mouth.

❑Coat your nails with a special bad-tasting polish, available at the drugstore.

❑Wear gloves or mittens to bed so you can’t suck your thumb or fingers in your sleep.

❑Set up a reward system. Use a calendar to keep track of how many days you go without giving in to your habit, and give yourself a treat if you meet your goal. If all else fails, talk to a doctor or dentist for ideas. But don’t give up—it takes time and patience to undo habits you’ve had for years.

Warts

Warts are harmless little bumps of flesh, usually white or pinkish in color. They’re caused by viruses passed from one person to another. Warts often go away by themselves. You can also buy products at the drugstore to get rid of a wart, but they can take one to two months to work. If you don’t want to wait, your doctor can remove a wart with a special freezing process.

Calluses

Calluses are hard, rough patches of skin caused by friction. Your body grows a layer of tough skin to protect the rubbed area. Athletes such as gymnasts get a lot of calluses, but you can get them just from raking leaves or gripping the handlebars of your bike. Wear gloves to help prevent calluses.

Nail Care

Scraggly, dirty fingernails are a sorry sight. Scrub your nails with a soft-bristled nail brush to remove the dirt trapped underneath.

Once a week or so, use nail clippers to trim your nails. If you have a hangnail, a painful split in the skin alongside the nail, clip the hangnail down as closely as possible. Then leave it alone. Don’t bite or pick at it. That will make it worse.

Use an emery board to round off any sharp corners or ragged edges.

Underarms

In the past you probably never gave your armpits

a second thought. But now that you’re growing

up, it’s time to start paying attention to them.

B.O.—It’s the Pits!

Sweating is natural and healthy. It’s your body’s way of cooling down. But you may be sweating more than ever before and in different places, such as under your arms. And when the sweat mixes with bacteria on your skin and meets the air, it can smell! Luckily, keeping body odor in check isn’t hard. You can start by giving your armpits a good sudsing every time you shower or bathe.

Deodorants and Antiperspirants

Once you’ve washed your armpits, you may want to use an underarm product that helps keep the sweat, odor, or both away. Deodorants work to prevent underarm odor. Antiperspirants actually work to reduce sweating. Some products are both an antiperspirant and a deodorant. They come in rollons, solid sticks, gels, and sprays—pick the one that works best for you.

Underarm Hair

If you haven’t already sprouted hair under your arms, you will soon. Some girls don’t like it. Others aren’t bothered by it one little bit. Whether you want to remove it or leave it there is a very personal decision. If you feel you’d be more comfortable without under-arm hair, ask your mom if you can remove it. Shaving is the most common way to get rid of underarm hair. While shaving may seem scary at first, it quickly becomes second nature. Ask your mom or older sister for a lesson.

Antiperspirants help prevent pit

stains. Your clothes––and your

friends––will thank you!

Shaving Tips

❑ Hair is softest when it’s wet, so shave in the shower or bath. Whatever you do, never shave dry!

❑ Slick up your armpits with shaving cream or soap.

❑ Use short, downward strokes. You don’t need to apply a lot of pressure.

❑ Rinse the razor frequently so it doesn’t get clogged with hair.

❑ Replace your razor blade after two or three uses.

A sharp blade is the secret to a smooth shave. Dull blades cause nicks.

Breasts

Budding breasts are one of the first signs that you’re entering puberty and that your body is starting to take on a new shape.

Time to Grow

You’ll probably start to notice changes in your breasts between the ages of 9 and 12, although some girls start earlier or later. There’s no way to predict how big your breasts will get—you won’t necessarily take after your mother or older sister. And don’t worry if you notice one breast growing more quickly than the other. The two will eventually even out, although they’ll never be exactly alike.

Stages of Development

Doctors divide breast development into the five stages shown below. See if you can tell what stage you’re in, and sneak a peek at what’s coming next.

Stage 1

This is how most breasts look before puberty begins. Breasts are flat to the chest, with a raised nipple and small areola.

Stage 2

A raised bump called a breast bud begins to develop under each nipple. The nipples and areolas get larger and darker. You may feel some tenderness in this area as the breasts grow.

If you don’t seem to go through

every stage, don’t panic. Some

girls may skip over one of the

middle stages.

How Long Does It Take?

There’s no way to know how long each stage will last or how long it will take for your breasts to become fully developed. Most girls reach stage 5 about four to five years after their breasts begin developing, or around age 17 or 18.

Shapes, Sizes, and Colors

Breasts come in endless varieties. Some are big, some

are small. Some are round, some are more pointy. Some sit high on the chest, some hang low. Some point up, some point down. Even the colors of the nipples and areolas, the dark circular areas around the nipples, vary from pink to dark brown. Some nipples stick out, while others are inverted, or go inward. Some girls may discover small hairs growing around their areolas. This is normal. Don’t pick at or try to pluck out the hairs. Doing so can irritate the sensitive skin in this area and cause an infection.

Bras

Do You Need a Bra?

There’s no right answer to this question. There’s only what’s right for you. Do you feel self-conscious because your growing breasts show through your shirt? Are you uncomfortable when you play sports? Generally, you need a bra when you feel that you’d be more comfortable with one than without one.

“ Girls should wear bras to be comfortable. it's up to the girl herself to decide when the time is right.”

First Things First

If you’ve decided it’s time to get a bra, you’ll need to talk with your mom or another adult family member before you head for the mall. Work up your courage and state your case as clearly as possible. Tell your mom or family member that you feel you’re ready for a bra. Explain why you think you need one, and ask if she’ll take you shopping for one. If she doesn’t agree that you need one, offer to compromise by starting with a sports bra or training bra. They’re described on pages 48 –49.

No One Has to Know

What if you’re ready to wear a bra but you’re not ready for the whole world to know? Don’t worry. Bras come in plenty of neutral colors that will match your skin tone. You don’t have to buy the bras with bright colors or eye-popping prints that will show through your shirts.

Do you feel left out because

everyone except you is getting a

bra? Try a tank top or camisole

under your shirt—no one will be

able to tell if you’re wearing a

bra or not.

Sizing Up Sizes

Once you’ve decided to buy a bra, you’ll need to figure out what size you wear. Bra sizes have two parts: a number and a letter. The number relates to the size of your rib cage. The letter—or cup size—relates to the size of your breasts. But don’t worry too much about figuring out your exact bra size. It’s only meant as a starting point. Every bra is different, and you may have to try on several different ones to find the right fit for you.

Adjusting the Fit

Once you’ve found the right size, you may still need to make some adjustments. Depending on the style of your bra, you may be able to tighten or loosen the fit around your rib cage by moving the hook over one or two notches. You may also be able to make the shoulder straps longer or shorter. To see if the straps are the right length, wiggle your shoulders. If the straps slide off, shorten them. If they feel as though they’re biting into your skin, let them out a bit.

Find Your Size

1 Measure around your ribs

below your breasts to get your

rib size. Look on the chart to

find the number for that size.

Rib size = Rib number

22–23 inches 28

24–25 inches 30

26–27 inches 32

28–29 inches 34

30–31 inches 36

2 Measure around your

chest over your nipples to

get your chest size. Subtract

the rib number you got above

from this size. Look on the

chart to find your cup letter.

Chest size

– Rib number = Cup letter

– 1 AAA

0 AA

1 A

2 B

3 C

4 D

3 Your bra size is your rib number and cup letter. An example: 32A.

There’s no reason to wear a bra while you sleep. It won’t affect your shape or size. Put your bra on in the morning and take it off at night.

Bra Browsing

Bras come in oodles of styles, fabrics, and colors. You’ll need to try on lots to find a good fit, so look for a store with a large selection. Ask your mom, your older sister, or an adult friend to go with you. They can help adjust straps and fetch more sizes for you. When you find a bra that looks smooth under your shirt and doesn’t pinch, scratch, or ride up your back, buy it!

Training Bras

A bra with an A to AAA cup is often called a training bra. This bra doesn’t train your breasts to do anything—it trains you to get used to wearing a bra! Even if you don’t need it for support, wearing one may make you feel less self-conscious and more confident about how you look.

Underwire Bras

Girls who wear a size C cup or larger may want the extra support of an underwire bra. This bra has a curved wire sewn into the fabric along the bottom of each cup. The extra stiffness helps hold the breasts in place, so they don’t jiggle as much.

Soft-Cup Bras

You guessed it—soft-cup bras are soft and flexible. For most girls who wear a size B cup or smaller, the elastic band in a soft-cup bra provides all the support they need, plus a comfortable fit.

Sports Bras

A sports bra looks like a cut-off tank top with a wide elastic band at the bottom. It’s designed to hold your breasts snugly against your chest so they don’t bounce around while you’re running or jumping. You can wear a sports bra every day if you like how it looks and feels.

Body Talk

Too big? Too small? No matter how they’re built, many girls feel their breasts just aren’t right. And that’s just plain wrong!

Pump Up the Pasta?

I don’t have any breasts! I was wondering if there were any foods to give me the nutrients to grow breasts.

Lots of girls wish there were a miracle diet or magic exercise that would make their breasts blossom overnight. But no food you eat will make a beeline to your breasts. And all the push-ups in the world won’t increase your cup size. Breasts are made mostly of fatty tissue and milk ducts, so there are no muscles in them to flex. Beware of advertisements for diets, drugs, or fancy gadgets that claim to boost your bust. Their claims are just flat-out lies.

Body Bullies

Some of the boys in my class make fun

of me because my chest is practically

flat! They are always making up poems

and songs about me.

Rude remarks can really smart! What you need to do is remember to look at the big picture. Are your breasts really the most important part of you? No way! What about your straight A’s in math, your perfect back flip, or your kindness to family and friends? That’s the real you, the girl inside who really matters. Don’t lose sight of her for a second, even when others seem to. If the teasing gets worse, or if a boy’s words or actions make you feel threatened or afraid, tell a parent or teacher immediately. Nobody has the right to harass you or to make you feel unsafe.

Too Busty

I have bigger boobs than all of my

friends. Because of this, my friends

are embarrassed to be around me

because they think I’m very ugly and

fat. I used to be very popular, but now

I find myself dorky and lonely

You’re not dorky—you’re developing. And though you wish otherwise, your body has a schedule all its own. For every girl like you who’s sad because her breasts are growing quickly, there’s another girl who’s upset that hers are still flat. And it’s just plain wrong for girls to be mean to some- one because her body is changing. Choose outfits that make you feel comfortable and confident. Make sure your bra fits properly. You might even try wearing sports bras. Their extra-snug support may lift your spirits, too. No matter what you wear, stand up straight and proud. If you feel good about yourself, you’ll be less of a target for teasers.

Faking It

I am really flat-chested. All the girls

have big breasts except me. Should

I stuff? I’m worried the tissue might

fall out when I’m running.

Who wants wads of itchy tissue stuffed down her shirtfront? You don’t need that sort of trickery. Chances are you won’t fool anyone, but you might feel like a fool when some eagle eye calls your bluff. It’s hard not to compare yourself to other girls or to the images you see on TV and in magazines, but never forget that it’s the stuff in your head and heart—not the stuff in your sweater—that determines how you really measure up.