It is true; teenagers nowadays grow up too fast. A young girl at ten years old can be seen to try dressing like an 18 year old, trying to look older. Since they experience a growth spurt to reach the adult height, looking older is also not a problem. The teens nowadays don’t even act their age and instead want to look older and more mature. The tweens become teens earlier than before.
If you examine the rising young stars, advertising and media, you discover that some premature teens influence girls to be as they are. We live in a ‘free’ society, where finding and accessing highly sexualized media content and material is not a big deal. Much of what has been accepted as ‘normal’ comment on girls and women in the daily newspapers on appearance and perceived attractiveness; therefore, it is not a surprise that girls are frequently encouraged to grow up at a faster rate, aspiring to act, feel and look like adults. There have even been cases of nutritional disorders due to young teens aspiring to look like models in the magazines or televisions. There has also been cases of teenagers as young as 9 getting pregnant, all in an effort to do as the girls in the magazines and other media do and portray as ideal type of teenagers.
Advertising has also affected teens and tweens. The advertisers now do target marketing and amazingly, this group is their main target since they have money and desire to look richer, more mature and successful, what has been described as ‘cool’. This has made the young ones grow so fast and desire to be more like the people they look up to and admire.
When I was a only 12 years of age, I remember, I would want to dress a lot like my older 20 year old sister. I did not want anybody to refer to me as a child. I would hang out with her company of friends, against her wish of course. I would go for shopping with them and try to get in and understand their conversations. I also remember movies by the Olsen twins really made me want to be a big girl. I could say in my own way, that I did grow up fast since at that age the most important things should have been my toys and pets.
In conclusion, teenagers now are growing faster than their parent’s generation since we now live in a time when fashions, technology and trends are also growing faster. The change of education also affects and makes the teens and tweens be more open minded to everything.
References
Broen, J., Steele, J., & Walsh, K. (2005). Sexual teens,sexual media. New Jersey: Lauren Erlbaum Publishers.
Kenneavy, K. (2005). Adolescent Gender Attitudes: Structure and Media Influence. Ann Aebor: ProQuest Information and Learning company.
