I've never really been what someone would call 'one of the cool kids.' One of the weird kids maybe, one of the strange kids sure but definitely never one of the cool kids. And that wasn't because I didn't want to be one, I actually remember really wanting to be one, but I just never really reached that kind of social height or status. As you get older you realise more and more how little it actually means to be 'cool' and how much more amazing it is to be kind, generous, thoughtful and loving. However, when you're a kid being cool means something completely different, it means being accepted, being 'looked up to' and being somewhat influential.
The cool kids back in my time were what people today would call influencers. People listened to them, laughed at their jokes, wanted to be just like them and longed for the status that came with being 'cool.' The word cool isn't really even used anymore and kids today would cringe at the thought of being called cool. Cool has been replaced by words like edgy, dope, GOAT, lit and snatched, all of which come with completely different connotations. The cool of my time would be considered extremely basic my modern standards, you were either cool or you weren't and it was really just that simple.
However, when I think back to the so called 'cool kids' of my time, a lot of them were actually not very nice people at all. A lot of them were actually raving assholes, teenage delinquents and mean girls. I did run with a few 'populars' for a while there in high school and it was easily the most bitchy, competitive and petty time of my entire life when I think back to it. I made some of my stupidest mistakes, took my biggest and most dangerous risks and in some ways probably sold out on who I really was for a little while there just to feel like I belonged in a clique. I also recall it being a really stressful time for me where I learnt to second guess myself and overthink every single thing that came out of my mouth. But I suppose that a lot of people would say similar things about their formative teenage years, a time when we often found ourselves doing and saying things that make us feel nauseous as an adult when we think back on it. I know without a shadow of doubt that my teenage years were less than brag worthy and rife with shitty choices.
So what does 'being cool' mean to me these days? Well it's certainly a far cry from what I thought that it meant when I was 16. However, I do still find some people irresistibly cool but for much broader and more humanitarian reasons these days. I find people that are willing to stand in their own truth very cool, people that are willing to question the status quo in intelligent and not necessarily provocative ways also very cool and people that are just trying to be good or better versions of themselves extremely cool as well.
There are also some cool and influential famous people that I just can't get enough of like:
The cool kids back in my time were what people today would call influencers. People listened to them, laughed at their jokes, wanted to be just like them and longed for the status that came with being 'cool.' The word cool isn't really even used anymore and kids today would cringe at the thought of being called cool. Cool has been replaced by words like edgy, dope, GOAT, lit and snatched, all of which come with completely different connotations. The cool of my time would be considered extremely basic my modern standards, you were either cool or you weren't and it was really just that simple.
However, when I think back to the so called 'cool kids' of my time, a lot of them were actually not very nice people at all. A lot of them were actually raving assholes, teenage delinquents and mean girls. I did run with a few 'populars' for a while there in high school and it was easily the most bitchy, competitive and petty time of my entire life when I think back to it. I made some of my stupidest mistakes, took my biggest and most dangerous risks and in some ways probably sold out on who I really was for a little while there just to feel like I belonged in a clique. I also recall it being a really stressful time for me where I learnt to second guess myself and overthink every single thing that came out of my mouth. But I suppose that a lot of people would say similar things about their formative teenage years, a time when we often found ourselves doing and saying things that make us feel nauseous as an adult when we think back on it. I know without a shadow of doubt that my teenage years were less than brag worthy and rife with shitty choices.
So what does 'being cool' mean to me these days? Well it's certainly a far cry from what I thought that it meant when I was 16. However, I do still find some people irresistibly cool but for much broader and more humanitarian reasons these days. I find people that are willing to stand in their own truth very cool, people that are willing to question the status quo in intelligent and not necessarily provocative ways also very cool and people that are just trying to be good or better versions of themselves extremely cool as well.
There are also some cool and influential famous people that I just can't get enough of like:
- David Lynch
- Eckhart Tolle
- Maya Rudolph
- Keanu Reeves
- Phoebe Waller-Bridge
- Olivia Coleman
- Taika Waititi
- Childish Gambino
- Ilana Glazer
- Nick Cave
- Reggie Watts
- Lena Dunham
- Jeff Goldblum
- Guillermo del Toro
- Ricky Gervais
- Joanna Lumley
16 CANDLES
Release Date: 1984
Rating: M
Running Time: 93 mins
This John Hughes 80's classic is right up there with the likes of The Breakfast Club and Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Hughes films were a staple for me growing up, and the jokes and teen awkwardness still work well today. Basically, there's always enough headgear, leotards and floppy disks to fill an 80's convention and the soundtrack is always kicking, making them the perfect coming of age options for any generation.
Samantha Baker has just turned 16, however with her sisters wedding stealing all of the limelight, no-one even remembers. Smothered at home by an influx of extended family for the wedding and the horny exchange student Long Duk Dong, she turns her attentions to the high school dance. However, at school she is being pursued by a relentless geek whilst secretly lusting over the incredibly popular hunk Jake Ryan.
Things are set into motion for a crazy 48 hours of mis-hap and hilarity as love finds a way against all odds in true Hughes style.
FINAL SAY: Craziest 16th ever.
3 Chilli Peppers
Release Date: 1984
Rating: M
Running Time: 93 mins
This John Hughes 80's classic is right up there with the likes of The Breakfast Club and Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Hughes films were a staple for me growing up, and the jokes and teen awkwardness still work well today. Basically, there's always enough headgear, leotards and floppy disks to fill an 80's convention and the soundtrack is always kicking, making them the perfect coming of age options for any generation.
Samantha Baker has just turned 16, however with her sisters wedding stealing all of the limelight, no-one even remembers. Smothered at home by an influx of extended family for the wedding and the horny exchange student Long Duk Dong, she turns her attentions to the high school dance. However, at school she is being pursued by a relentless geek whilst secretly lusting over the incredibly popular hunk Jake Ryan.
Things are set into motion for a crazy 48 hours of mis-hap and hilarity as love finds a way against all odds in true Hughes style.
FINAL SAY: Craziest 16th ever.
3 Chilli Peppers
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