Too Cool for School - Teen Vogue's '13 Going on 30'- Girls Playing at Being All –Grown-Up

TEXT, VIVIAN KELLY


RECENTLY, I’VE BEEN ON A KICK ABOUT THE RETURN TO TRADITIONALISM AND THIS INCLUDES TRADITIONAL WAYS OF THINKING, WHICH ARE ADDRESSED IN THE ARTICLE ’13 GOING ON 30’. [p. 118-121, May 2010 ISSUE].

IF YOU’RE A PARENT WHO’S GOT A TEEN OR TWEEN IN THE HOUSE OR IF YOU’RE AN HONORARY “AUNT” OR “UNCLE”, YOU SHOULD BE READING TEEN VOGUE.


In addition to the great fashion GLORIA BAUME and her fashion team create for the mag, THERE ARE SOME GREAT ARTICLES ABOUT LIFE SUCH AS “13 GOING ON 30” IN HERE.

A year ago, I bought my 2 tween daughters a subscription to Teen Vogue. For the first 3 months, I was the only one who read it. By month 4, it had caught-on with the 2 girlies and I clicked the “Fan Teen Vogue” button on Facebook.

I don’t “fan” many pages, but as Mike Meyers and Dana Carvey of ‘Wayne’s World’ loved to say, Teen Vogue is “worthy”. By contrast, some of the statements in the article, such as actress TAYLOR MOMSEN saying, “I’M NOT GOING TO DATE SOMEONE WHO’S SIXTEEN. I WOULD EAT A BOY MY AGE ALIVE”, MAKE ME WANT TO “HURL”, AS MIKE AND DANA LOVED TO SAY.

SIMILARLY, 13-YEAR OLD TAVI STATING, “ PEOPLE CAN’T FIGURE OUT IF I’M 80 OR THIRTEEN. SOMETIMES I DON’T KNOW EITHER.”
PUHLEEZ! CAN WE SPELL P-R-E-T-E-N-T-I-O-U-S??

Thankfully, for every TAVI out there there is a LILLY. This 13-year old looks and acts 13 but is mature beyond her years – in a good way. She spent the month of August planning a 4-day camp for children ages 3-8 with 2 other 13 year olds. There was a theme [sea life] and a full roster of activities to do from 10 – 3p.m.
Mom, a very talented illustrator who’s on constant deadline, was in the house, but for the great part of the time, the girls ran the show.
I watched for a few minutes and marveled at the girls’ planning abilities and patience with younger children. There was no endless texting to other girlfriends whining, “I’m so boooored. What are you doing? Let’s go shopping” talk. These girls were behaving like mini adults and knowing that they could pull off an endeavor like this did great things to their already healthy self-esteem.
How about an article about the LILY’s in the next issue of Teen Vogue?