Something extremely bothersome and frustrating concerning the younger generation has been going on for a little while now, and I think it is time that it be addressed.
Can someone please tell me where that period between ages 10-15, commonly known as the awkward stage has gone? It seems to have disappeared, and the situation is the source of much aggravation for me. In the past few years, there have been numerous memes created, such as the one picture below, regarding this phenomenon.
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I personally think that it is unfair that such a crucial stage of life has conveniently skipped over this generation, and still haunts the rest of us. These kids will never know the embarrassment of being tagged in old Facebook photos. They’ll never have to hide their school portraits from their parents, to avoid having them framed on the living room wall. The whole situation is just completely unjust, and I feel like I’ve been cheated.
I have always been aware of the issue at hand, but it was not really much of my concern, until I spent last weekend being roasted by my little sister’s 13 year old friends. Their favorite pastime is sorting through my old albums and yearbooks, and mocking photos that were taken of me during that godforsaken period of my life.
One girl even told me that “[my] glowup is #Goals.” Apparently, a glow up is when puberty does its job properly, and the once ugly subject turns into a bearable-looking being.
First of all, little girl, no one says #goals in a verbal sentence. And second of all, what in the world gave you the confidence to speak to your elder in that way? I actually told them that pretty soon, they’ll all be looking back at photos of themselves andcringing just as much as I do at photos of myself.
But then I looked around at their perfectly contoured faces, highlighter and all, and realized that I was very mistaken.The new generation of pre-teens are not nearly as awkward as the rest of us were at that stage in our lives.
Who taught them to dress themselves in outfits that match? How do they know how to do perfect eyeliner “wings” better than I ever will? And why are they posing in their Instagram photos like they’re 45 year old moms, straight out of botox?
Not only are their physical appearances mature for their age, but so are the ways in which they speak and carry themselves. Pre adolescents are usually characterized as being awkward in their social interactions as well. Why is it that now, when I speak to them, I feel like I’m talking to people of the same age as I?
And after thinking about this phenomenon for a while, I realized that the answer is actually super simple.
There is simply no separation between childhood and young adulthood anymore. The line between these two categories has been blurred. Kids are now being exposed to the same exact content as the rest of us, and I blame it all on social media. They too, are reading the Cosmo section on snapchat with the headline “10 Ways To Tease Him and Please him.” Meanwhile at the age of 12, I was picking Zack Efron photos out of Disney magazines, and pinning them onto my bedroom wall.
Furthermore, due to apps such as Instagram, the younger generation is being exposed to the same trends and styles as the rest of us are.
And I blame all of their wardrobe choices on Kylie Jenner and her squad.
It’s honestly so frightening that my little sister and her friends are so fascinated by someone who symbolizes so much promiscuity and sexuality, and even scarier, that they wish to emulate her. Kylie is 19 years old, and therefore dresses and acts like an adult. However, she is also a celebrity who uses her sexuality as a means of achieving publicity, and therefore oftentimes neglects to wear certain articles of clothing that are usually deemed necessary to the general public.
But pre-teens are seeing this on Instagram, and are getting ideas on how they should be dressing as well.
Other social media platforms such as Musicly, Vine, and Snapchat all provide this generation with material that is causing them to act much older than they are. There is no longer that barrier between the older and younger generation that there used to be. We’re all following the same people on social media, watching the same TV shows, and overall just being exposed to the same content.
When I was in middle school, the trend was High School Musical and Hannah Montana, where everyone dressed like this.
**Shoutout to Gabriella for the green, orange, and blue outfit combo
Now, middle schoolers are watching Gossip Girl and Pretty Little Liars, where sex and drugs are the norm, and the main characters dress like this
I would argue that soon, there will no longer be this phase of “pre adolescence,” which is a shame. There is something to be said about that period of time when you’re trying to figure yourself out and are not 100% confident in the person that you are. And over time, that uncertainty vanishes and you slowly begin to realize that you’re awesome, and beautiful, and everything in between. To me, this phase builds character and humility, which are two things that the younger generation will have to find other ways to compensate for.
I’m not sure anything can be done. The internet has become such an essential part of our lives that it’s almost impossible to imagine life without it. However, I do think that we’ll have to keep an eye out for the young ones; just to ensure that not ALL innocence is lost. And I guess I’ll just have to deal with the fact that I won’t be able to make fun of my little sister for being ugly in a few years.
man running in forestPhoto by 
