Thursday Thread: Smells like Gen-X angst?

Nah, we're calling BS on our teenage selves.

Mar 2

Faces of women of what they look like now compared to a younger version of themselves created by the TikTok app.

Have you seen the “#TeenageFilter” currently trending on TikTok? The face-altering effect shows users a comparison of what they look like now vs. a younger/teenage version of themselves.

It’s not a perfect (or even accurate) portrayal — like most filters giving zero flaws or any defining characteristics — but it’s definitely triggering to Gen-Xers and midlifers because there’s a common coming-of-age experience that bonds us all and I’m calling bullshit on my teenage self.

I want to tell her to chillax… give her a hug and a candy bar… and reassure her that the pain she’s feeling does not (and will not) define her.

One day she’ll look back on all that childhood trauma she’s survived, grow and do things she never thought possible, end toxic patterns that haunt her family history and wear her years like a badge of fucking honor!

How about you? What would you tell your teenage self? Let “them” know in the comments below.

22 Comments

Ruth McIlhenny

Mar 2Liked by Liz Thompson

I’d tell my younger self to always be true to herself. There is no need for anyone to rescue her and that post-menopause will be even better than she could have imagined. All the executive functioning issues will either disappear or make her stronger when those hormones go away!

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