Being a teenager is hard work: being cool at times means being a rebel

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February 26, 2013 by Welcome to the Jungle

Being Cool is Not Universal

by Aimee G.

Cool is merely a concept that is making choices for the youth of today. It is
extremely difficult to define the word “cool” because it is merely an idea and
is forever changing. I could give you a long list of things I think are cool but
they would not help you understand the word any better.

What someone thinks is cool differs from one person to the next depending on their demographics such as age, gender, culture, lifestyle, etc. Cool is not universal. As I said before, what is viewed as “cool” now will change in your opinion over the next years of
your life as your focus shifts. This is because of our constantly evolving
world. Even fads, trends and styles are all things that we are told by the media
that we need to pay attention to in order to be cool. These almost always
involve wasting money on the latest gadgets, products or clothing in hopes that
we look the part. Although, fads and styles are constantly changing just as our
definition of cool changes. By constantly promoting new products you must have
in order to fit in, companies are making tons of money. They prey on our
insecurities to be accepted in society. The media even influence our attitude
and values through movies, magazines and other forms of medium.

We are
continually swarmed by the idea of who we should be and how we should act. Being
“cool” seems to be more portrayed as an attitude than what you own, although the
possessions definitely increase your likelihood of being welcomed by your peers.
Characters who are viewed as cool are seen as always having fun, being in
control, just not caring about anything or breaking the rules. One great example
of this statement would be the show, The Weekenders. One of the main characters,
Carver always hopes to be cool some day even though he already has a good time
with his friends. The “cool” kids in the show are depicted as uncaring and also
act superior. They lean against a wall all day and put people down when they
walk by. As the four main characters watch the cool kids put down a fellow peer,
Tino states “I’m going to go stop it.” As Tino starts to walk towards the scene,
Carver pulls him back saying, “No, no, no. Mortals must not meddle in the
affairs of the cool kids.” This clearly shows how highly people think of those
who are labelled as “cool”.

I find some aspects of cool for teenagers today
include being rebellious by doing drugs, hating authority, skipping class, etc
as well as staying up-to-date in fashion and technology. Being a teenager is
hard work. You want to be accepted although you are constantly judged. Everyone
aspires to be their own person, to stand out as original and yet, they are
quickly judged for not following the social norms or judged for copying someone
else.

Be who you want to be, not who someone tells you to be.