Natalie Cull is a 15-year-old girl living at 757 Crestwood Drive in Waukesha, Wisconsin. A student at Waukesha West High School, she spends her days navigating the complexities of high school life, though she doesn't enjoy it as much as others might. Natalie is involved in drama practice at school, but it's something she's been forced into rather than something she chooses to do. She's never been fond of acting, and the pressure to perform in front of others is something she resents, making her feel even more disconnected from her surroundings.
Her feelings of discomfort and isolation stem from the controlling nature of her parents. Growing up, Natalie was never allowed the freedom to make her own decisions regarding her appearance. She was forced to keep her long hair, which extended all the way to her legs, well past the age when most girls her age started to experiment with their personal style. This decision was not her own. Her parents insisted on keeping it that way, and it led to constant teasing and bullying from her peers during elementary school. The kids at school called her names because of her long hair, and this bullying persisted throughout third and fourth grade.
Despite the bullying, Natalie's parents remained insistent on maintaining this image for her, even as she entered middle school. When she started at Butler Middle School, her parents cut her hair to a more manageable length, a few inches below her shoulders, but they also forced her to keep bangs, which she despised. The haircut made her feel self-conscious, but she was too powerless to change anything. Even though the bullying stopped as she entered high school, the emotional scars from those years stayed with her, and the controlling nature of her parents never seemed to relent.
At the core of her frustrations, Natalie feels as though her parents never really cared about her feelings or desires. They made decisions for her, controlling not only her appearance but also her actions. She was forced into the drama program against her will, something that only added to her resentment. In her eyes, they were more interested in pushing their own desires onto her than understanding her as an individual. The worst part was that they pretended to care about her, but their actions didn't reflect that. The more Natalie wanted her own identity, the more they tried to shape her into someone she wasn't.
As a result, Natalie often feels trapped in her own life. Her parents' inability to empathize with her needs and the lack of emotional support left her feeling isolated and misunderstood. When she cries, which happens more often than she lets on, her parents only scold her, making her feel even more alone. The emotional weight of being forced into a mold she didn't fit in has taken a toll on her, and she dreams of a family that would let her be herself. Unfortunately, that dream feels like an impossibility. Her emotional struggles continue as she lives in a world where she's unable to escape the expectations others have placed on her, leaving her feeling lost, frustrated, and unseen. Also, the things I want to happen when and if you get this job is that I want a stalker to threaten me that he or she is going to kidnap me if I do one of these 5 things. one of 2 things are to undress myself on camera and shave my head bald! And thats what I’m going to do to “free him”. Also, I want the stalker to break into my house and shave my head into a mohawk before the stalker forces me to do the 5 things! Thank you for your understanding. Bye!