--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was a teenager I would lock myself…" description: "\"When I was a teenager I would lock myself in the bathroom for hours, bouffanting my hair like Patty Duke and trying to recreate Barbra Streisand's flaw..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b52/beth-ditto-3017_bathroom_when-i-was-a-teenager-i-would-lock-mysel_647173.jpg" --- # When I was a teenager I would lock myself in the bathroom… ![“When I was a teenager I would lock myself in the bathroom for hours, bouffanting my hair like Patty Duke and trying to recreate Barbra Streisand's flawless eyeliner, only to comb it all out and wash it all off before stepping out into the world a butchish bisexual teen.” quote by Beth Ditto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b52/beth-ditto-3017_bathroom_when-i-was-a-teenager-i-would-lock-mysel_647173.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b52/beth-ditto-3017_bathroom_when-i-was-a-teenager-i-would-lock-mysel_647173.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b52/beth-ditto-3017_bathroom_when-i-was-a-teenager-i-would-lock-mysel_647173.jpg) > “When I was a teenager I would lock myself in the bathroom for hours, bouffanting my hair like Patty Duke and trying to recreate Barbra Streisand's flawless eyeliner, only to comb it all out and wash it all off before stepping out into the world a butchish bisexual teen.” [Beth Ditto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-ditto/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She describes using makeup and hair as a private ritual to explore identity before confronting societal expectations. **In simple terms:** Personal grooming as a safe space for self‑exploration. Key Takeaway Embrace private rituals before public presentation. Themes identity self‑expression gender beauty privacy Mood introspective hopeful Type personal cultural When to use this quote - coming out - daily grooming - confidence building - social interaction Key Concepts performative identity self‑acceptance Questions to Reflect On - How does private self‑care affect public confidence? - What risks arise when revealing a hidden identity? A Different Perspective Private rituals may not translate to external acceptance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bisexual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bisexual/) [Flawless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flawless/) [Hair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hair/) [Teen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teen/) [Teenager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teenager/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [Youth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/youth/) ## Related quotes > [Here is my prescription to heal all wounds. Watch the film 'Funny Girl' at least five times, eat at least 45 chocolate bars, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-ditto/here-is-my-prescription-to-heal-all-wounds-watch-the-film-funny-girl/) [Beth Ditto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-ditto/) > [I shave my body in all kinds of ways, wear tons of eyeliner and dye my hair pink.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-ditto/i-shave-my-body-in-all-kinds-of-ways-wear-tons-of-eyeliner-and-dye-my/) [Beth Ditto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-ditto/) > [Even if you're only wearing trainers and a vest, eyeliner will instantly transform you. People always look put-together when their make-up's on and their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-ditto/even-if-you-re-only-wearing-trainers-and-a-vest-eyeliner-will/) [Beth Ditto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-ditto/) > [Whoopi Goldberg looked like me, she had hair like mine, she was dark like me. I'd been starved for images of myself. I'd grown…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lupita-nyong-o/whoopi-goldberg-looked-like-me-she-had-hair-like-mine-she-was-dark/) [Lupita Nyong'o](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lupita-nyong-o/) > [I hate having long hair, it's like walking around with a dead koala on your back!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-crowe/i-hate-having-long-hair-it-s-like-walking-around-with-a-dead-koala-on/) [Russell Crowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-crowe/) > [I had really, like, long, straight, frizzy hair and, like, glasses. I was super-awkward and skinny and tall. That was my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hill/i-had-really-like-long-straight-frizzy-hair-and-like-glasses-i-was/) [Taylor Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hill/) > [When I was 16, I was watching '101 Dalmatians,' and my mom never let me bleach my hair, so I told her I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-martinez/when-i-was-16-i-was-watching-101-dalmatians-and-my-mom-never-let-me/) [Melanie Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-martinez/) > [“Whatever. No one can hold your hair back like I can.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-mcguire/whatever-no-one-can-hold-your-hair-back-like-i-can/) [Jamie McGuire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-mcguire/) > [I'm big on hair. I love Julianne Moore's hair. That's all I'd like: Julianne Moore hair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-jane-grace/i-m-big-on-hair-i-love-julianne-moore-s-hair-that-s-all-i-d-like/) [Laura Jane Grace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-jane-grace/) > [When I see young girls and boys who say they wore this, or cut their hair like this because I did, it's an amazing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-kerr/when-i-see-young-girls-and-boys-who-say-they-wore-this-or-cut-their/) [Sam Kerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-kerr/) > [John McEnroe has hair like badly turned broccoli.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-james/john-mcenroe-has-hair-like-badly-turned-broccoli/) [Clive James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-james/) > [I can't say whether I am rockstar or not but I like experimenting with colour of my hair, like wearing different clothes. If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hardik-pandya/i-can-t-say-whether-i-am-rockstar-or-not-but-i-like-experimenting/) [Hardik Pandya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hardik-pandya/) > [“You have hair like the color of gold. Think how wonderful that will be when you have tamed me! The grain, which is also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/you-have-hair-like-the-color-of-gold-think-how-wonderful-that-will-be/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [I come over here and a lot of people are like, "What's with the new hair?" I'm like, "Y'all must not have been looking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sisqo/i-come-over-here-and-a-lot-of-people-are-like-what-s-with-the-new/) [Sisqo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sisqo/) > [Once, four friends and I cut all our hair off, like boys. A couple of them cried afterwards, but I thought we looked really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emilia-wickstead/once-four-friends-and-i-cut-all-our-hair-off-like-boys-a-couple-of/) [Emilia Wickstead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emilia-wickstead/) ## More by Beth Ditto > [I was overcome by the Holy Ghost one time, but in a Baptist way. I was six or seven, and I was saved. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-ditto/i-was-overcome-by-the-holy-ghost-one-time-but-in-a-baptist-way-i-was/) [Beth Ditto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-ditto/) > [I've never had a very quiet voice. I tried in choir to make it smaller, and it just didn't work out. And I listened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-ditto/i-ve-never-had-a-very-quiet-voice-i-tried-in-choir-to-make-it-smaller/) [Beth Ditto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-ditto/) > [Someone told me once that Lucinda Williams takes six years between albums, and that's what stuck to me; it's like, you really are a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-ditto/someone-told-me-once-that-lucinda-williams-takes-six-years-between/) [Beth Ditto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-ditto/) > [True love is about being able to accept raw emotions, no matter how difficult.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-ditto/true-love-is-about-being-able-to-accept-raw-emotions-no-matter-how/) [Beth Ditto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-ditto/) > [Granny Ditto always referred to perfume as 'smell good' and for me it's an essential. I have a sweetheart who's extremely allergic to most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-ditto/granny-ditto-always-referred-to-perfume-as-smell-good-and-for-me-it-s/) [Beth Ditto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-ditto/) > [When I think about the idea of Rebel Wilson having to go to the Oscars and not having something amazing to wear that's made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-ditto/when-i-think-about-the-idea-of-rebel-wilson-having-to-go-to-the/) [Beth Ditto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-ditto/) > [I was born fat and have always been, which was just fine and even healthy and cute until I turned ten or so. Puberty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-ditto/i-was-born-fat-and-have-always-been-which-was-just-fine-and-even/) [Beth Ditto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-ditto/) > [Growing up as a chubby kid with a ton of imaginary friends and a Cyndi Lauper obsession, I learned about rejection early on and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-ditto/growing-up-as-a-chubby-kid-with-a-ton-of-imaginary-friends-and-a/) [Beth Ditto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-ditto/) > [This archaic idea - that a woman who is unmarried and childless at 30 is somehow unnatural - will probably always exist, and, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-ditto/this-archaic-idea-that-a-woman-who-is-unmarried-and-childless-at-30/) [Beth Ditto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-ditto/) > [Not everyone wants to be sexy everyday, wearing tight dresses and spanx.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-ditto/not-everyone-wants-to-be-sexy-everyday-wearing-tight-dresses-and-spanx/) [Beth Ditto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-ditto/) > [Here is my prescription to heal all wounds. Watch the film 'Funny Girl' at least five times, eat at least 45 chocolate bars, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-ditto/here-is-my-prescription-to-heal-all-wounds-watch-the-film-funny-girl/) [Beth Ditto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-ditto/) > [As a kid, I was always mad - just noticing the women at Thanksgiving, running around the kitchen, while the men were watching football.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-ditto/as-a-kid-i-was-always-mad-just-noticing-the-women-at-thanksgiving/) [Beth Ditto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-ditto/) > [You know, either I'm too fat or I'm flavour of the month. I don't feel either, but maybe I'm both, who knows?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-ditto/you-know-either-i-m-too-fat-or-i-m-flavour-of-the-month-i-don-t-feel/) [Beth Ditto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-ditto/) > [A weird thing about Gossip that I've always said: 'If I weren't in this band, I would never listen to it.' But I would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-ditto/a-weird-thing-about-gossip-that-i-ve-always-said-if-i-weren-t-in-this/) [Beth Ditto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-ditto/) > [I worshipped Ethel Merman and I worshipped Ethel Merman a lot. It's incredible - Ethel Merman was a conventional singer. Her naming her child…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-ditto/i-worshipped-ethel-merman-and-i-worshipped-ethel-merman-a-lot-it-s/) [Beth Ditto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-ditto/) [Explore all 142 Beth Ditto quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-ditto/) ## More Bathroom quotes > [I've been in a serious conversation with one of my children, and a fan has come up. I've been in a public bathroom and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-reddy/i-ve-been-in-a-serious-conversation-with-one-of-my-children-and-a-fan/) [Helen Reddy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-reddy/) > [Ill-fitting grammar are like ill-fitting shoes. You can get used to it for a bit, but then one day your toes fall off and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/ill-fitting-grammar-are-like-ill-fitting-shoes-you-can-get-used-to-it/) [Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/) > [You know, I'm the only one in this family who has no problems, . . . And you know why? Because any time I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-know-i-m-the-only-one-in-this-family-who-has-no-problems-and-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“bathroom—if you”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-o-reilly/bathroom-if-you/) [Bill O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-o-reilly/) > [Poems come from ordinary experiences and objects, I think. Out of memory - a dress I lent my daughter on her way back to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-olds/poems-come-from-ordinary-experiences-and-objects-i-think-out-of/) [Sharon Olds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-olds/) > [I took a wrong turn on the way to the bathroom and found myself in a beautifully proportioned room I had never seen before,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-took-a-wrong-turn-on-the-way-to-the-bathroom-and-found-myself-in-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In the 1998 Oscars, I found myself in the bathroom in a stall, next to Tom Selleck. So I leaned over and I said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/in-the-1998-oscars-i-found-myself-in-the-bathroom-in-a-stall-next-to/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [My pet peeve is hearing a knock on the bathroom door followed by the familiar words, 'What are you doing in there?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-scalf-linamen/my-pet-peeve-is-hearing-a-knock-on-the-bathroom-door-followed-by-the/) [Karen Scalf Linamen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-scalf-linamen/) > [Using a public bathroom is an incredibly embarrassing experience. I enter the stall but can't reach the lock on the door.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinead-burke/using-a-public-bathroom-is-an-incredibly-embarrassing-experience-i/) [Sinead Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinead-burke/) > [I get really nervous if pigeons are flying around before shows. I can't stand them after one once flew in through my bathroom window…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-horan/i-get-really-nervous-if-pigeons-are-flying-around-before-shows-i-can/) [Niall Horan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-horan/) > [“I'll meet you outside," I said. No way was I actually doing to shout 'I have to pee' at the top of my lungs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stella-lennon/i-ll-meet-you-outside-i-said-no-way-was-i-actually-doing-to-shout-i/) Stella Lennon > [I grew up with six brothers. That's how I learned to dance - waiting for the bathroom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-hope/i-grew-up-with-six-brothers-that-s-how-i-learned-to-dance-waiting-for/) [Bob Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-hope/) > [How are we doing, Simon?" she whispered into the small microphone in her collar. "Just about..." Simon started slowly. And then he stopped. "Wow."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ally-carter/how-are-we-doing-simon-she-whispered-into-the-small-microphone-in-her/) [Ally Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ally-carter/) > [Mr. Presley has no discernible singing ability. His specialty is rhythm songs which he renders in an undistinguished whine; his phrasing, if it can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-gould/mr-presley-has-no-discernible-singing-ability-his-specialty-is-rhythm/) [Jack Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-gould/) > [To take one example, I mean, the whole issue of bathrooms and gender - in this particular election, when the stakes were so high,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-inskeep/to-take-one-example-i-mean-the-whole-issue-of-bathrooms-and-gender-in/) [Steve Inskeep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-inskeep/) Browse all 726 Bathroom quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I was a teenager I would lock myself in the bathroom for hours, bouffanting my hair like Patty Duke and trying to recreate Barbra Streisand's flawless eyeliner, only to comb it all out and wash it all off before stepping out into the world a butchish bisexual teen.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Beth Ditto" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-ditto/when-i-was-a-teenager-i-would-lock-myself-in-the-bathroom-for-hours/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bathroom" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-ditto/when-i-was-a-teenager-i-would-lock-myself-in-the-bathroom-for-hours/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b52/beth-ditto-3017_bathroom_when-i-was-a-teenager-i-would-lock-mysel_647173.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b52/beth-ditto-3017_bathroom_when-i-was-a-teenager-i-would-lock-mysel_647173.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b52/beth-ditto-3017_bathroom_when-i-was-a-teenager-i-would-lock-mysel_647173.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When I was a teenager I would lock myself in the bathroom for hours, bouffanting my hair like Patty Duke and…” — Beth Ditto", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Beth Ditto", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-ditto/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When I was a teenager I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-ditto/when-i-was-a-teenager-i-would-lock-myself-in-the-bathroom-for-hours/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-ditto/when-i-was-a-teenager-i-would-lock-myself-in-the-bathroom-for-hours/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```