Teenage Dream

editor's letter

“This isn’t the end, but only the beginning.”

A phrase many of you might hear upon leaving Grade 7, or at the end of the 5-year journey called high school. It’s true that neither of these moments is the end of your journey, however, it can be seen as the end of an era and the start of one too! Being a teenager in our crazy world is a job no one can ever prepare you for. Instead, this journey is one of endless learning, mistake-making and tear-jerking moments, coupled with love and laughter.

From teenage fashion trends to debunking the myth that Matric Dance partners make or break your special evening, this issue discusses all things teen with our theme, Teenage Dream!

A special shout-out to the Matric Class of 2022!

You have truly left your mark on the lives of so many Wynberg learners and we can but only hope that Wynberg holds a special place in your journey of teenagehood!

In Short Mersei Mananga

he clock is steadily ticking, ncreasing its speed each day yes are watching as we try to ck ourselves up and learn from our mistakes.

merging expectations keep us wake.

umerous things to do

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AreMatricDancePartnersOverrated?

by Amy Scholtz

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The teenage dream is something everyone wants but is almost impossible to find. The teenage dream is something different for everybody, making it once again, impossible to describe or find a distinct definition for. Everyone has a different version of the teenage dream as we all grew up with different cultures, parents, friends, and ultimately different lives.

The teenage dream is impossible to describe - every so often I think it's impossible to live or achieve.

At some point in a teenager's life, we will have to overcome countless diversions and problems that seem to make us a step behind everyone else or sets us apart from the rest. One of these problems is one we all face and that is deciding our futures.

The entirety of high school leads us to the final decision and that is what we will spend the rest of our lives doing. For some this decision is as easy as breathing because they always knew what they were going to do. That they wanted to become a heart surgeon or anything that they have dreamed of. For others, the decision is a little more complicated than that.

Many people struggle with decisions, myself included. Some of us have countless interests and still, we are stumped when the question of what we want to do with our lives is asked. Sure we have a vague idea but often interests change and people change. Not everyone has to have a clue on what to do with their lives or even if they want to go to university and I think that that is okay.

Everything factors into that particular decision, what subjects we do in school, where we go to school, all of our interests and hobbies, and what sports we play. It also includes what we are needed to do, what our parents want us to do, and what supplies us with the highest income to make for a comfortable life.

Often I struggle with the concept that we have to make these decisions when we are still teenagers trying to figure out what we will do one day. It’s important to understand that it's okay to change your mind and be able to change your minds and be able to follow your interests without having to worry about what other peoples think or what effect it may have on our futures. It’s okay not to know.

W h a t d o y o u w a n t t o b e

w h e n y o u g r o w u p ?

Do you get asked the question all the time too? Some of us have a set answer, some have no clue and others answers are constantly changing. I’m one of those people whose answers keep changing. It’s hard to know precisely what you want to be when you grow up but some have had a dream since the beginning of their teenage years. It’s their “Teenage Dream”.

You’d think that your childhood dream was unrealistic but is it really? Maybe the astronaut you wanted to be when you were seven is in the near future. I’ve decided to interview a few people within my grade on their career choices. Perfect timing, seeing as our subject choices are dueprettysoon.

Therewereagreatvarietyofanswers.Somepeopleare still striving to reach their childhood dreams, some whose career choices changed drastically, and even some who have no clue. We’re all different people with different dreams and views so when people ask us “what do you want to do in the future?”, don’t be scared that you don’t know or worried that you keep changing yourmind,anddon’tbescaredtochangebecausewestill have the rest of our teenage years and even more years after that to decide what your dream career is and try andmeetit.

THETEENAGEDREAM'S DEFINITIONOFFASHION

Have you ever noticed whenever you go to the mall, that stores are constantly changing their displays and clothing items available? Whether you go to Cotton On or Mr Price on a Friday and revisit these stores the next Wednesday they have completely new stock, items and displays. Because of this rapid production of clothing, we are constantly incentivized to buy new and buy more. This is a result of the fast fashion industry. The Fast Fashion Industry refers to producing and marketing masses of clothing at a cheap rapid pace to keep creating new trends in order to maximise profit. This industry damages the environment due to the large quantities of waste that factories emit, not to mention the exploitation of workers for cheap labour. Fast fashion stores are often the ones we tend to shop at for their “more affordable and stylish” clothing, stores such as H&M, Cotton On, Mr Price and Superbalist.

The fast fashion industry thrives off micro trends which profit off mass consumption. In the last few years, trends have become increasingly shorter. Some clothing items which seem “aesthetic” this month will be out of stores by next month. Teenagers are the biggest target market for fast fashion trends and often fall into the trap of buying micro trends. We become addicted to consuming on large scales such as buying a new outfit every time there's a specific event. The “clothing hauls” on social media platforms also normalise this. Instead, we should be distinguishing between our own authentic style and what is trendy right now. We don't have to define style by the recent micro trends. To get away from the trap of fast fashion we should rather buy smart by making more conscious decisions on what and how much to buy Start investing in basics and neutrals instead of the latest trendy piece advertised

Is this an impulsive buy?

Will this still fit in my authentic style/wardrobe next year?

Will this item’s quality and material last me for over a year?

Do I already have something similar in my wardrobe?

Can this item be repurposed or mended?

Will I wear it 30 times?

The 30 wear rule is significantly aimed to guide teenagers through micro trends. Since the fast fashion industry is so popular amongst teenagers it's important that we all are aware of the impact of our purchases so that we can shop responsibly and sustainably.

Here are some questions which can assist with responsible shopping:

T h e Outdated

T e e n a g e D r e a m

I was excited about high school Don’t get me wrong. I was nervous too. However, occasionally I would forget about the nerves by thinking about how amazing my high school experience would be I could not wait to be dancing on the rooftops of school with my bae while singing our affections to one another… or grooving on a table …much like the dance stylings of Kat Stratford

All of my premonitions for high school came from the teen movies I had seen. The problem is that teen movies do not show you the whole picture. The reason that the genre is so popular is that they only show a small portion of the picture: the moments everyone dreams to have in high school. Most teen movies follow the same trusty formula: popular boy and quirky girl embark on a bumpy journey to romance. Add in a makeover scene and a slow-motion walk down the school hallways and you’ve crafted the perfect concoction. And when in doubt: always, always make prom night the climax of your story.

Teen movies do not dare to show you the realities of school: the stress of studying, the pressure of academics as well as trying to juggle everything at once. They definitely do not show the main protagonist panicking over due dates and then panicking over lack of time and then panicking because they are panicking… and in turn panicking because they are panicking about panicking. It is a vicious cycle.

In the past, I have blamed Covid for not having had these experiences, but the real reason is that they are completely unrealistic. All of the favourites - Mean Girls, 10 Things I Hate About You, Clueless - show improbable expectations of what teenagehood is all about. It's okay to enjoy these awesome teen movies on the safety of your couch but try not to get caught up in comparing yourself.

If any of you have experienced high school in the romanticised way the movie industry portrays it, then good for you - have your main character moment, and enjoy it. For the ones who have not, know that you do not need these moments to have a good high school experience. Not having the perfect ‘kissing in the rain’ moment does not mean you have lived it all wrong, it just means you have lived it differently… more realistically I would even say.

“It's not a phase mom!”

"It's not a phase mom, this is who I really am" is a sarcastic phrase that was originally used to create memes that teased “emo” teenagers for their fashion choices. The phrase is also used by teenagers to defend themselves against criticism from others who perceive their interests as strange. The phrase evokes cringeworthy and humorous memories of the interests that Anonymous, Shalom Masanga, and I have outgrown.

The Kpop phase

While there is nothing wrong with listening to Korean pop music, my 2018 2020 self was unhealthily obsessed with this music genre… as well as the group members. I breathed and lived for kpop, as all of my daily activities included some aspect of extreme fangirling. Whether it was doodling my favourite artist's names in Korean at the back of my exercise books, or forcing my friends to stream music videos with me during break, kpop was my entire life. Korean Culture Festivals were the highlight of my holidays. The delicious food, passionate dance covers, and unsuccessful matchmaking are unforgettable memories. Although I find these memories to be embarrassing, I have to admit that they were some of the happiest and most carefree times of my life.

Wattpad mania

Anonymous was introduced to the reading app by her older sibling who would find fanfiction about their favourite series. She eventually developed an obsession with terrifying werewolf and vampire stories, which also inspired her, like most Wattpad lovers, to create her own story on the app. The title of the book was "Forever": An angsty story about an immortal girl who was traumatised by the death of her mother. The plot concluded with the devastating death of her love interest. Anonymous sometimes wonders why she had written something that poorly. Nevertheless, she recalls being extremely proud of her book.

"at least I was reading something, my mind was certainly broadened" ~Anonymous

Save the sharks advocate

At the beginning of this year, I watched a documentary about how there is no such thing as sustainable fishing and how the ocean is practically being murdered by humans. One particular part of the documentary that captured my attention was the slaughtering of sharks for entertainment purposes. After watching that documentary I decided I wanted to save the sharks. I had very little research and went around yelling at my friends and family to save the sharks. I have no sort of solution other than cutting any fish out of your diet to save the sharks. I signed many petitions on change.org that claimed to be saving the sharks and just spammed people with that information. I have improved my research skills to better communicate my interest in saving sharks.

Michelle Maneya

Farewell

Teen Years, It's Been Fun!

As the end of the schooling, year approaches for us Matrics, we slowly start to bid farewell to our home for the last 5 years, as well as our teenage hood. With the excitement of turning 18 and reaching our last year of school, comes the dawning of adulthood, university and many other realities that exist beyond high school.

Many say that your years as a teenager are the best years of your life, but knowing how unpredictable life can be, some of the hardest battles you face may throw themselves at you during the so-called “best years of your life”. Those years may not have been perfect but as we seniors look back on our teenage journey, I’m sure we can say they were perfectly imperfect.

Tears may have been shed from pain, but perhaps also from laughter. Year after year, matrics come and go, but it is not until you are standing at the gates yourself, preparing to leave that you feel it. That bittersweet moment when you can taste all the excitement of the journey ahead but also the sadness of the memories you’re leaving behind.

Being a teenager is … complicated. It’s the one point in your life where you are both “too young to understand” and “old enough to know better”. It’s a whirlwind of fun and hardship. There are failed friendships and hurtful words but also stomach-hurting laughs and bursts of joy so big, you don’t know what to do with.

Matrics, the halls of our school will echo with our laughs from fun and jokes, our names will be written down under the banner of “class of 2022” and we will leave a legacy for the years to come. Our teen years at school were fun, but a new adventure awaits. As our favourite 2000s pop star, Hannah Montana once said, “We might be apart but I hope you always know, you'll be with me wherever I go.”

Atheerah Isaacs

Special thanks to:

Our thoughful and talented Wynpress committee for always creating such thought-provoking work;

Mrs Johannes Swanson for all of her efforts dedicated to ensuring every Wynpress issue reaches its full potential;

Dr Wallace for taking the time to ensure that the issue is at the standard of publishing perfection; the Communications and Marketing team for sharing our work with the Wynberg family; and last but certainly not least, many thanks to you, our amazing readers for your never ending support.

*Images and cartoons are courtesy of Canva (www.canva.com) and unsplash (unsplash.com)