Published: September 2025, Smoky Blue Literature and Arts Magazine

 

“Look at her. The delicate sheen on the bridge of her nose glitters in the bright kitchen light like god herself airbrushed it on this morning. The Playboy black pantyhose, how they disappear under the cotton dress, no need for high hemlines. The spiky heels she steps out of just inside the doorway as the twins crash into her.”

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Spoiler!

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Look at Her is the final product of an idea I’ve been toying with since grad school. Being a teenage girl is so tough, and it’s when a lot of girls choose to either embrace style, or not give a shit. I knew the story would focus on a teenage babysitter with massive insecurities put between two opposing forces – the seemingly perfect and effortlessly beautiful mom who hires her, and the woman’s daughter, also a teenage girl.

 

The daughter – Mina – was the catalyst for the whole thing. I’ve been working on a story her for a while. She’s insanely confident and dedicated to learning the guitar. Doesn’t mind getting made fun, doesn’t care about getting in trouble. At some point, I realized she had something to teach a girl like Dizzy and Look at Her was born.

 

I wanted Dizzy to have to challenge the way she sees herself, give her the opportunity to evolve and see if she would. Her low self-image affects the way she interacts with others, taints her decision making. Her doubts occupy her mind, keep her distracted and off her game, leading to mistakes that can’t be taken back.

 

Another fun fact: This story is full of names of important people/pets in my life, and lots of scenery from my hometown, and that really made this story a blast to write.

 

Thanks to Smoky Blue Literature and Arts Magazine for being the first to pick up one of my stories!