How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
The kid Mick picked at the front of her blouse to keep the cloth from rubbing the new, tender nipples beginning to come out on her breast. (1.2.125)
Biff creepily hones in on Mick's discomfort with hitting puberty. Biff might be recognizing discomfort in Mick because he himself has a lot of discomfort with his sexuality. Frankly, we do, too, because he spends far too much time in the novel eyeing the young Mick.
Quote #2
"That's why I wear shorts. I'd rather be a boy any day, and I wish I could move in with Bill." (1.3.82)
Mick bucks at the convention that she look or act a certain way, or become a wife and mother in the future. She doesn't want to be assessed as a typical girl. She has her own path in mind.
Quote #3
She stood in front of the mirror a long time, and finally decided she either looked like a sap or else she looked very beautiful. One or the other. [...]
She didn't feel like herself at all. She was somebody different from Mick Kelly entirely. (2.1.47, 49)
Though Mick often defies stereotypes, in this scene, she's just like your typical girl in a classic teen movie. You know, the ugly-duckling-who-suddenly-becomes-a-swan scene? But we can't forget that she has more on her mind than winning over Freddie Prinze Jr. In this scene, she seems more worried about what her new look says about herself. She is experiencing what it means to be feminine and beautiful for the first time.