From a Hicktown Princess Herself

I was walking around campus yesterday and felt like I was being judged. Lucky for me, I’m not the type of girl to really care. I wondered what could possibly be drawing stares and I finally figured it must be my outfit. A Browning hoodie and Carhartt aren’t exactly considered “fashionable” here in Syracuse, New York.

I’ve learned that I’m not your typical girl since coming to school in a city. I’m not afraid to break a nail. Actually no, scratch that. I’m not afraid to get down and dirty in general. Walking across the quad in my Merrell’s and Carhartt, I see every other girl in a Northface jacket and Uggs. I get distracted and my jaw sometimes drops when a nice truck drives by (the bigger and louder the better), while other girls are longing after sleek, shiny sports cars. I wore my cowboy boots to prom and will be wearing them to my wedding too. I don’t see the allure of buying a $5000 purse. Yes, $5000 for a bag that’s probably going to sit on the ground when you go out to dinner and going to get in the way of foot room anyway. I’d rather put a nice down payment on a new Harris saddle.

I love the way I am and am so proud of my roots. I wouldn’t change growing up in a small town for anything, and I hope to raise my kids in the same town I grew up in or one very similar someday. I truly am from that stereotypical small town that everyone claims to hate but no one seems to want to leave.

What I love about being from a small town is that it’s a simple lifestyle. It’s a place you don’t have to worry about locking your doors because you know everyone anyway. Things aren’t sugarcoated and people are modest. You can leave the keys in the ignition and the worst that’s going to happen is your friends move your car from one end of the parking lot to the other. You know everyone by name and who they’re related to and their occupation, perhaps even their address. The worst traffic is being held up by an Amish buggy trying to go to the next town down the road. It’s quiet, and when you look up at the sky at night you can see the stars.

There is no better therapy than a dirt road and some music. People from the country know how to have a good time and make something out of nothing. They aren’t demanding and always looking for more like city people. We’re perfectly content sitting around a fire, chilling with friends and enjoying ourselves instead of going out to fancy places all the time.

            It’s not all rainbows and butterflies though. There is still gossip; but that’s an inescapable part of life. And sometimes you seem to be smothered by it that much more because people run out of things to talk about.

Another major thing that bothers me is that just because I’m from a small town and have small town morals, people expect me to be stupid. It’s like those who aren’t from cities with high-class schools are considered less intelligent. I think that’s so far from the truth. People can be intelligent in different ways. Just because I don’t know what the latest trend is doesn’t mean I’m not going to survive in life. I’m more proud of the fact that I know how to change a tire and don’t have to be a damsel in distress if I ever get a flat.

            So to all of you city slickers, sit back, breathe, and enjoy life. Realize how beautiful simplicity can be.

            Now on to my next issue. Talking with a friend the other day she was being criticized for falling in love with archery. She is one of the most down to earth girls I know and she didn’t start archery hunting for a boy, she did it for her. So many girls where I’m from think they need to pretend to be something they’re not just to get a boy to like them. This “fake” country girl attitude is something that will pass eventually, give it time and girls will get sick of it and ditch their redneck attitude to jump on the next bandwagon.

            Girls who don’t even know how to bait a hook will grow out of their “someone take me fishing” stage and if you want to tell yourself Florida Georgia Line and your Hollister plaid shirt make you a redneck, so be it. I’ll watch you make a fool of yourself while I listen to George Strait with my Justin Morgan boots on.

            Being country isn’t a style; it’s truly a way of life. It’s something you’re born with and that’s in your blood. It’s not about where you’re from or how much camo you wear; it’s what’s in the heart. It’s about community, kindness, respect, and being polite to others.

            As Brantley Gilbert says, “Country must be country wide; amen.”