Taylor Swift Deserves Better

Oh look, me n' baby Graham!

A few years ago I wrote a post on hating teenagers, or maybe just making fun of them, but I'd like to redact that statement.

First of all, I went to a writer's league meeting this weekend and it was strange because:

(a) I'm pretty sure I was the youngest one in the room. By 20 years, minimum.
(b) I was the only one with a laptop, which made me feel rude???
(c) The entire conversation was geared towards a non-tech approach, i.e. carrying a notebook for ideas rather than an app on your smart phone, and submissions via snail mail rather than email (I know places still do this but . . . not the kind I'd bother submitting to)

Immediately after this I went to go meet Seve at the high school where he's holding rehearsals for the annual Halloween show (Tales of Terror from the Tragic Valley, haha) where, naturally, we're the only ones older than 17. And it was . . . awesome? I love his students. I love teenagers! Also, it made me realize that that feeling I had that I was getting old (at the ripe age of 28) isn't really true yet. I met old this weekend, and yeah . . . definitely not there yet. The writer's league meeting wasn't awful by any means, just . . . an experience.

A lot of ellipses in this post.

I write all this to say that I have some quotes from an essay I'd like to share on teenagers, specifically teenage girls, that I really agree with. Teenage girls get a reputation for being ridiculous and eye-roll worthy, but why? Because they unabashedly express their love for things? Because they've been unfairly dealt the role of the face of superficiality? Because they're, heaven forbid, girls?

There's this idea that a novel/film/song about a girl (Pride and Prejudice), for a girl (Twilight), or written by a girl (Taylor Swift) is silly frolicsome fluff, but if it's by a male, it's commentary on the human condition. Yeah, okay.

Below are a few of my favorite excerpts from the essay, and if you have the time, it's really worth the read. Has some language in it, though, so fair warning.

"One of the most popular ways people like to hate teenage girls is to complain about their “insane” crushes on boy band members. Now, let me tell you something: those big dumb crushes are what helps a teenage girl develop her sexuality in a safe environment that she can control. In her world, she can listen to One Direction and hear all these songs about how great she is, and how much these cute non-threatening boys want to make her feel special. Why is this so important? Because no one is pushing them. There’s no fourteen year old boy shoving his clammy hands down your shirt without your consent. These fantasy boys are not convincing a girl to send naked pictures, only to show all their friends and call her a slut. In the fantasy land of boy bands, the girl has all the power. And we need to stop judging them for wanting to escape into that."

At twelve, most girls understand real sadness. Twelve, though it seems so young to us now, felt really old at the time. By this point, you’ve already been told how to be, and realized that you’re not measuring up. By twelve, your skin is already shit, and your body is too flabby or your breasts haven’t come in yet. Worst of all, when you’re a girl, by twelve you’ve probably already been in a situation that made you feel threatened sexually. Let that sink in. From the top of my head, I can think of four moments in my life, before the age of twelve, when someone crossed a line with me. Four. This is not abnormal."

---Read more at "Why I F*cking Love Teenage Girls (A Personal Essay from an Almost Adult)" by Meg

p.s. I now feel inspired to write a post on my favorite media featuring the girls n' ladies, so look for "Taylor Swift Deserves Better Pt 2," coming soon to a blog near you.