I'm Up Here: Why My Boobs Are My Second Favorite Attribute, Behind My Mind

I remember the first time a guy told me I was intelligent. I was in the fifth grade and a boy I had a crush on requested for me to be his partner for a science project.

When I asked him why he chose me, I hoped it was because he liked me, too. Instead, his response was, “Because you’re the smartest girl in the class.”

This compliment was almost better than him telling me he liked me, though. He appreciated me for my brain, which I loved, because it showed that my hard work at school had earned me some respect.

Shortly after this experience, I hit puberty; it didn’t take long for somebody to point out that Mother Nature was more than kind to me.

The first time it happened was in the sixth grade. Clad in a yellow Abercrombie top, I was lying down in the hallway, reading a book, and my friends were looking at me. When I asked what they were staring at, they just giggled and said, “We just realized how big your boobs are.”

The comments my boobs earned increased each time my bra size did. Slowly but surely, I received fewer remarks about my mind and more about my chest. At first, I was very self-conscious about this, but I knew the twins weren't going anywhere, so I decided to embrace them.

Once I changed my mindset, I really began to love my boobs. The only time I consider them a nuisance is when I am working out, but they are (quite literally) part of who I am.

Still, I realized that if I wanted people to focus on my personality, it would have to be bigger than its two rivals. Who knew a girl could learn so much from two fat deposits?

Despite my adoration for my boobs, they are not my favorite part of my body. They will always come in second (and third) to another very special part of who I am: my mind.

Education, whether obtained in a classroom environment or not, is the most beautiful and wonderful gift a person can give him or herself. It is an accessory that never goes out of style and can always be put to good use.

Every day is an opportunity to explore, question and evaluate our surrounding atmospheres. And, you need not be the next Einstein to be considered an intellectual. Many people think your SAT score defines your intelligence, but intellect is so much more than a test.

Intelligence is the ability to tune in to your atmosphere and notice things that typically go unseen. It is indulging your mind with all outlets of knowledge that surround you.

It is examining social issues and using your brainpower to find solutions. It is asking questions, searching for answers, writing or painting. It is solving a math equation, reading a book, giving sound advice and anything else that stimulates you.

Women should be able to embrace parts of themselves that they love without letting it hinder other attributes in which they also take pride. We should not have to hide aspects of ourselves to enhance another one.

I refuse to wear a turtleneck for the rest of my life to make it easier for others to understand that I have a brain. I also refuse to dumb myself down so people will look at my chest and find me more appealing.

Women should take pride in their bodies and carefully ensure that doing so doesn't cast a shadow on their beautiful minds.

If women were to be labeled as nothing but great boobs, we would be just that: nothing. But, women couldn't be further from nothing. We are empowering. Some of us may have this noticeable trait, but it does not at all mean that it is the only thing for which we should be appreciated.

While I love my body, but I never want people to forget that I am more than just a pair of boobs, as they will never take precedence over my mind.