Welcome to Melodrama

Politics. Gossip. School. Coming-of-age. Social media. Activism. Peer pressure. Music. Sexuality. Mental health. All of the makings of a modern-day American teenager, and then some. I want to write about what I know, and this is it. The melodramatic issues and interests that come with the awkward years between childhood and adulthood. The teens: thirteen to nineteen.

But what defines a teenager, beyond our age? Is it our family? Our friends? What about our music taste? Our grades, or our hobbies? The phases we go through, or the “phases” that stick? Is it our developing prefrontal cortexes? Or is it our political opinions? Should we even have political opinions, or are we too immature to exert control over our own futures? Rebellion, or conformity? Why are we so moody and dramatic? Should we stop moaning about homework and petty drama, and be more considerate of actual problems? Are we causing our own problems through our addiction to social media? Or are we victims of a deeply flawed society? Are we naive for being passionate and hopeful? Or are we lucky to still be at the prime age for adapting and learning?

Is there a universal “teenage” experience? These are the years of heightened emotions and reckless choices—it’s nearly inevitable, biologically. But what does the teen who studies for hours on end, night after night, have in common with the teen who parties every weekend and is on the verge of flunking out of school? I’d say, a lot more than you think. In fact, they could even be the same person. How important are the livelihoods of teenagers? In twenty years, will we laugh at what we currently perceive as our problems? Or should we be nourished, as we will make “the leaders of tomorrow”? Or—is it both? The average American teenager is incredibly privileged, but how similar are our experiences to those of other contemporary teens around the world? What about the ones alive a thousand years ago? How much power do we truly have to help others? None of these questions have easy answers, but I will be discussing these topics and more in the following weeks.

My name is Aurelia Bankston, and at the time of this post, I am eighteen years old. A legal adult, sure, but a teenager nonetheless. My brain isn’t quite done developing, which is probably evident through my poor time management skills and decision making—but that’s a story for another day. This blog is about teenagehood: from Lorde’s Melodrama, which inspired the blog title for capturing the theatrical elements of love, partying, and the late teen years; to the progressive nature of youth, and the ones that led marches, strikes, and protests in response to some of the United States’ (and the world’s) most pressing issues. This is Melodrama.