From a young age, many of us are taught to believe real life is nothing like the teen movie fantasy.
As a child, I was sold a fantasy, the teenage dream, a glistening future stuffed into my brain by movies, magazines, and TV shows. I eagerly prepared for my teens as a preteen, dreaming of that eclectic, vibrant life I’d have once I hit double digits. And for a moment, at 13, I thought I’d peaked, only to realize it was an illusion. High school was nothing like the movies.
We’re told as kids, “You’ll understand when you’re older,” as if adulthood is a treasure chest full of knowledge and freedom. But pop culture told a different story. Since the 80s, the world has been fascinated and appreciative of the typical teenage rom-com. From Sixteen Candles to 10 Things I Hate About You to Mean Girls, there’s something inspirational about the liveliness of the characters’ core memories. The rise of teenage TV shows only made it more appealing. My Babysitter’s A Vampire, Pretty Little Liars, and Teen Wolf all showed adolescents with endless adventures and closet space. Anything was possible; they got with their crush, traveled across state lines, and partied all night without a worrying phone call or consequence.
But my high school experience? Let’s just say it was nothing of the sort.
The closest I’ve come to living out the teenage dream displayed in Teen Vogue, Disney Channel, and the first round of famous YouTubers was, ironically, college. College opened up a new realm of possibilities, including friendships, spontaneous outings, parties, etc. Though we are told that college will be filled with copious amounts of recreational fun, the media rarely shows it. Very few pieces of media showed the budding life of early adulthood, it seemed as though you either peak at 16 or 30, with little acknowledgement of the messy, exhilarating in-between.
But, as I found my footing in my final year as a teenager, I learned that Justin Bieber was right, “Life is Worth Living,” especially after high school.
It’s not just the education, it’s the quiet moments before a lecture, introducing yourself to the person next to you. It’s the long-lasting meals in the dining hall, the conversations that shift your worldview. It’s meeting people from entirely different worlds who lived just a few hours away. It’s concerts, multi-cultural picnics, and discovering passions and perspectives that teach you there’s more to life than the three linear paths taught to you by elders and the media, the lovely parts of life are the little things that are forgotten.
The real magic isn’t in the scripted drama of adolescence (though I still dream of those adventures), it’s in the unplanned, overlooked moments that shape us. And that’s a dream worth chasing.