6 • The Daily Wildcat
Women’s History Month ● March 2022
YOUTH FEMINISM
OPINION: Teenage girls should not be the butt of your joke sixth grade class seemed to complain when a few girls requested our teacher to play the song. It’s not even the question of whether their BY MAGGIE LANDON music was good, people were @maggie_landon solely hating on them because of who loved them. Teenage femininity is a battle Analise Bruno wrote in an against every societal standard article for the Viking Times that is shoved down your throat that “this culture often puts from a young age. Teenage girls impressionable girls under the are consistently picked apart microscope and perpetuated for their interests, hobbies the idea that we all only like and habits. Whether it is liking things that are weird, shallow, One Direction or sports, there basic, or done for the direct is always someone there to attention of guys which makes comment on how obsessive it hard for us to like or do they are or claim they are just anything without the looming trying to seek some form of fear of being judged.” attention or validation from If a girl is interested in others. makeup, it doesn’t mean she The term “fangirl” comes is shallow and looking for to mind when I think of ways attention. Enhancing beauty society has picked apart can work wonders for selfteenage girls. If you Google confidence and help a woman “sports riots,” dozens of feel comfortable in a society searches come up with the that is always looking to titles “top-12 insane sports highlight her flaws. riots,” “here are five American During a beauty cities which rioted after secrets video with Vogue, sporting success,” and yet fans congresswoman Alexandria of boy bands are constantly Ocasio-Cortez commented ridiculed for their obsessive on this by saying, “there’s and dramatic tendencies. I this really false idea that if don’t remember anyone setting you care about makeup, or if a car on fire when Zayn left your interest is in beauty and One Direction. fashion, that that’s somehow Speaking of One Direction, frivolous. But I actually believe in an article for Study these are some of the most Breaks written by Katherine substantive decisions that we McLaughlin, she detailed the make, and we make them every issue of why One Direction morning.” Whether you do full was never taken seriously for glam or just mascara for class, their success. She said that it doesn’t give anyone the right “a group that is statistically to claim that it is indicative of extremely successful still faces your character. some of the most intense social TikTok is another rabbit hole loathing of their time.” Is it a of pushing narratives upon coincidence that their general teenage girls and shaming fanbase consisted solely of them for their interests. Vox teenage girls? Not at all. published an article where I even remember feeling Rebecca Jennings wrote, “teen inclined to dislike One girls and their interests have Direction when “What always served as punchlines, Makes You Beautiful” rose but on TikTok, once enough to popularity because of teen girls publicly enjoy how much everyone in my something, the backlash
can grow even bigger.” This is later followed by “TikTok accelerates meaningless cultural cycles faster than any machine or platform ever has, which means that as soon as something gets popular enough, it’ll trigger a nearimmediate backlash.” One example that immediately comes to mind is the sudden backlash making its way through TikToker Emily Uribe’s comment section. It seemed as if the world was rooting for her when she was posting herself engaged in mock interviews with comments similar to “can’t wait to see you doing this for real.” But now, she’s walking red carpets and interviewing movie stars while continuing to post on TikTok and is now met with comments like “don’t tell me she’s serious” or simply “no” or “uh.” While her audience may have shifted, her comments used MARY ANN VAGNEROVA | THE DAILY WILDCAT to be riddled with SOCIETY TENDS TO CRITICIZE all things that teenage girls love. It is time to start questioning joy and genuine this criticism on teenage femininity. encouragement for this creator. male counterparts finding their to because those are things Once she gained I truly enjoy. Stop trying to way to fame? immense popularity and put teenage girls into a box As someone who was a attention from magazines or corner for one aspect teenage girl very recently, I and media outlets, Uribe was of themselves. Women are can say confidently that my suddenly met with criticism multifaceted and should not be interests and hobbies have and hatred that wasn’t shared treated as one-sided beings. been poked fun at or even before. She’s finding success ridiculed for their frivolous and being dragged down for nature. I’m going to continue it with faceless commenters — Maggie Landon (she/her) is a to read and watch rom-coms, finance major at the University of claiming she’s not ready for it listen to One Direction and Arizona. She loves to read and vibe or is undeserving. What makes do my makeup when I want with her cat Rizzo her any less deserving than her
