Teenage Culture is Fascinating

Cody Simpson, the new next big thing to help us fill that Justin Bieber void after we collectively realized he can peace the fuck back out to Canada.

It really is. I mean, I'm in my late 20's and people completely stop being interesting at that point. They either become dull or hateful. Everyone's scared of each other, everyone's judgmental and obnoxious, and you really start only giving shits about yourself. So basically what I'm saying is that the real world makes you into an asshole, and that's basically a scientific certainty, in the exact same language.

The idea that 20-somethings who are overworked underpaid and enormously in debt from way misguided attempts to do something meaningful during college are trying to dictate what is cool and what is not is preposterous. Since the dawn of teenagers, they have been at the forefront of what we accept and don't accept as popular culture.

If you think about it with teen idols entering into adulthood with Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift fast approaching the drinking age (in fact, I'm pretty sure Taylor is like 23 at this point) a new crop of badly groomed squeaky teen idols are just waiting to take their spots with their kicks more neon than Justin Biebers, and their hair more gelled than Robert Pattinson's. And here's the thing, considering teenagers as self-aware as they are have no concept whatsoever of shame, they are able to basically bring whatever the fuck they feel like to the fore and we're like 'mmmkay, guess we're now dealing with this shit'.

Wes Anderson has never made films from the point of view of anyone who has matured beyond the mental age of 16, which is exactly why he's so fucking popular. Still from Moonrise Kingdom (2012)

Self-consiousness, self-loathing, and general insecurity is generally something that manifests itself after that initial teenage period where the psychology is much more a cloak of invincibility. That is why the culture that comes out of that meliu is so balls-to-the-wall ridiculous, especially the sexual culture. They are too young to understand the pathos of sexuality on any kind of mature level (obviously) all they know is they like it, and they want more of it, so basically that leads to all kinds of innuendo that suggest rather than graphically exploits. Whenever those lines are blurred, teenagers find it highly confusing and repugnant. Example: the infamous Miley Cyrus spread for Vanity Fair that Annie Lebovitz shot.

Miley Cyrus cements her status as jail-bait thanks to a little help from Annie Lebovitz.

And in the end isn't that how we should all be, confused but highly arrogant, sexually charged but sexually frustrated and never-endingly obsessed with pretty people? Seems like an ideal state of mind to me, also in a way very Warholian, which to me makes it all the more appealing. Regression is IN, personal growth is out. It's overrated and passe. No one is interested in evolving; the more we know the less we care. So turn off the CNN debate, and turn on the VMA's and get back to the superficial things in life. You'll be surprised how wonderful it is.