Something I’m often caught deep in thought about (yeah, we’re getting right into the dramz today) is social media and the effect it, along with society in general, has on young women, namely teenagers. The latest pop of thoughts stemmed from Chloe’s post on how Instagram beauty trends aren’t real life & this gem of a tumblr post.
Scrolling through Instagram can be either a harrowing or exciting experience, depending on who you’re following. & then, sometimes ya get caught up in the rabbit hole that is the explore page and suddenly you’re watching a fourteen year old do a contouring tutorial that gives your bronzer disaster of a former fourteen year old self a run for her money. You can’t believe Instagram girl is fourteen, because she looks at least seventeen. ‘Kids these days,’ you think, blaming it on society, and keep on scrolling. A universal experience that probably elicits different reactions from person to person.
It used to not phase me much, reveling in those ‘when I was thirteen vs thirteen year olds now’ memes and wondering why on God’s green earth our parents ever let us out of the house in such atrociously ugly attire. But the more I look the more I see a less than cute trend of society’s sexualization of young girls & how it affects things.
Working retail, I’ve secretly rolled my eyes many a time when I hear parents complaining about the hemlines of skirts & shorts on girls’ clothing. ‘They’re kids’ I’d think, as I’ve always been a huge believer of ‘if you’re sexualizing things that shouldn’t be, you’re the problem’ & that’s still true, always. But, what line do you draw when it’s the clothing brands that are making crop tops & all the ‘in style’ things for older ages sized down for preteens? Women are over sexualized enough, and it’s an enormous problem when it’s catered to the ones still trying to find their identity. Where does the line end?
Even when I am in a full face of makeup with a “look at me I’m an adult” outfit on, I’m often mistaken for a teenager. Sometimes it still grates at me, but it also makes me sad. Is it just my baby face or is it that combined with the fact that teenagers now look 23? We aren't letting our kids be kids anymore. Instead of playing dream catcher they're playing 'look like kylie jenner' & it's no wonder there's so much struggle with self esteem.
Obviously the only answer to this I have is writing thought pieces, but it's an epidemic we need to fight against. Fight for our girls because in the end, the absence of self love and sense of self, the pressure of always competing, always comparing, drains you, becoming a ghost of yourself that no amount of clothes & contour can cover up.
wearing//
colorblock dress | shein
blazer | papaya (similar here)
necklace | francesca's
xo,
kae
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