Being a Teenager

When I was in high school ('81 - '84), we were allowed to be geeky and awkward. It was how we found ourselves. The cliques were obvious: Cowboys, Stoners, Jocks, Pops, Band Geeks, Drama F*gs, Punkers & Wavers. But most were just "students". Some drifted through different groups (myself: Band Geek as a Sophomore, Drama F*g as a Junior, and I graduated as a Punker), but we developed our own personalities. The problem I perceive is now the media is defining the teen culture. In the '80's it was organic. A transfer student brought a new look or a smuggled air tape from WLIR in New York expanded our "underground" attitude. Now, the hyper-sexualized Hollywood teens and the 24/7 coverage of their bad behavior are defining teen culture. The new looks are packaged and sold from The Hills to The Girls Next Door. 12-year-old girls are shopping Victoria's Secret and their mother's think it's cute. It becomes really hard to be ironic when your parents shop at Hot Topic.