On Teenage Nostalgia: What is this life?
The Muse Letter No. 79
There’s an episode from As told by Ginger, which I occasionally loop in my head when things are scary and/or difficult. It’s at the end of her high school year about to graduate and the world at her feet, unsure what to do, trying to find the words for the commencement speech she has to hold as the valedictorian of her class but struggling: what advice to give?
There’s something about high school nostalgia, coming of age novels, the whole thing of finding yourself, that just really hits me in the gut. Maybe it’s because it’s that moment everyone can relate to because back then everything seemed possible: we were just starting out. We didn’t know who we were yet and as you grow up and get older you might feel the same way over and over again: Who am I really? What is this life?
But it will never feel as open and as exciting as when you were on the verge of your teenage years because then you really had no clue, like none at all. The skirts were too short/long, the eyeliner too thick, the eyebrows depending on your era but always WEIRD, the jeans too tight/loose/ low/ high. Teenagerdom is ridiculous. It has to be. You’re trying everything for the first time, so no wonder it looks so fucked up.
Though some peers of mine seem to believe that generation TikTok has their make-up figured out I implore you: look around on the streets. Where the real teenagers live. Without a filter. They still look sort of unfinished. Not bad not good just not there yet.
And if you do remember your teenage years well, there’s always been a few lucky ones that somehow had good posture and the right clothes and knew how to cover up their pimples and make their hair look shiny. (Which I still don’t know.)
When I asked around on Instagram why people like to still watch their favourite teenage shows the most common answer was: comfort. But what exactly is so comforting to watch teenagers struggle through life?
I have a couple of thoughts on this: