21 Going On...13?

That tiny microscopic white blob on the stage is Liam Payne. Yes, the Liam Payne. On Sunday, I went to a local concert series called Kiss the Summer Hello hosted by KISS 98.5. The age range is typically six to sixteen. This is the second time I've gone when I've been way above the age threshold, but you know what? I just don't care. Who wouldn't want to go to a reasonably priced concert to see tons of cool acts that are heavily played on the radio? Who doesn't want to dance around and sing your favorite songs to listen to in the car with your best friends (or in my case, my cousins, because I chaperoned)? Why put an age cap on it?


I've always been into characteristically teenaged things, even beyond the years of "teenagedom." I mean, I'm only 21 and have been out of my teens only for a couple of years, but I feel as though stereotypically "teen" things usually relate to 13 or 14 year olds. I haven't been that young in...a long time, but I always feel like I'm semi-up-to-date on stuff. Sure, my younger cousins say things and massive floating question marks appear above my head (usually relating to some new kind of dance move that I will never learn how to do), but I feel like I can hold my own.

I love boybands and pop music and princess movies and all that jazz. I'm not particularly ashamed to admit it as well. I mean, the members of the boybands or the artists I listen to are typically older than I am anyways, so that seems like a fair match. Shawn Mendes is the only exception to that rule and it kills me every day. I digress, I don't think that there's any sort of age limit on these things in life. If anything, teenage girls have impeccable taste in everything. I mean, who brought the Jonas Brothers and One Direction to life? Who allowed them to flourish as long as they did? Who bought the CDs and tickets and merchandise? Teenage girls. I was a part of that! And I want to be a part of that for someone else too.

This quote from Harry Styles (can I go a week without mentioning him on her? No, no I cannot) cycles through my mind from time to time because it's just so true:

"Who's to say that young girls who like pop music – short for popular, right? – have worse musical taste than a 30-year-old hipster guy? That's not up to you to say. Music is something that's always changing. There's no goal posts. Young girls like the Beatles. You gonna tell me they're not serious? How can you say young girls don't get it? They're our future. Our future doctors, lawyers, mothers, presidents, they kind of keep the world going. Teenage-girl fans – they don't lie. If they like you, they're there. They don't act 'too cool.' They like you, and they tell you. Which is sick."

So perhaps I'm not a teenage fangirl anymore. I'm an adult fangirl whose interests lean towards the teen end of things. But it's for good reason! Teenagers have some good taste! Sure, they have their cringe moments, but I also feel like I'm young enough to look at a situation with a teenager that might raise eyebrows and think "Well, I was the same way not too long ago, so I can't judge." The times, they are a-changin'!

I also just noticed mid-writing this post that I am currently wearing a Nick Jonas shirt that I bought in 2009 and a pair of sweatpants I bought sometime during high school. Not only do I have the occasional mentality and interests of a teenager, I am also rocking my wardrobe from the same time. Metro Station told me I wouldn't be seventeen forever, and maybe they were right, but sometimes I sure as hell feel like I'm fifteen again and it's not always the worst feeling in the world. At least now I don't have bangs or braces and I at least have less acne than before. It's like being a teen again without all of the angst! Only some of it!