Life as a Modern Teen: The Curse of Being a Girl/Crazed Teenager

Whilst scrubbing my hair to an inch of its life earlier this morning, an idea - one which, had I not been entirely infatuated with the recent arrivals in my wardrobe, would have occurred to me sooner - popped into my head. Just like that. And, as I'm itching (an exaggeration, of course) with excitement to tell you all about it, there are absolutely no doubts about whether my idea makes sense. It simply does. Enough said.

My idea goes like this:

With several years of experience as a teenager behind me, I ought to openly discuss the curse which is attached to the package that is adolescence.
However, the many dramas that you go through as a teenager are more defined by your gender which, as I'm obviously a girl, might explain why young sweet-faced girls transform into hormonal young adults once puberty rolls around.

Really, my idea is simple, but will not hold back on the oh-so-true facts that have long defined the teenage years as an absolute nightmare. At times, however, I couldn't imagine feeling happier because of being a teenager; despite the trouble they often bring us and the world itself, those sensitive hormones do come in handy (for positive purposes) from time to time.

But my hormones - which, like a super-fast roller coaster, are spiralling beyond my control - have other ideas today: I'm ready to indulge on some cold truths about teenagehood and being a girl. And why, despite my constant complaining about everything that comes with it, I still love my life!

1. We feel, we cry, we moan, we scream and we ache - sometimes for no apparent reason. Damn, we feel everything!

Forever regarded as the gender who is in constant contact with their feelings, there are very few occasions when we can switch off the 'feeling' button and give ourselves a break - a trip to the Maldives would just about do the trick!

What with term dates, money and life itself posing issues of its own, not many of us are privileged to take a break whenever we feel like it. So, very begrudgingly (which we will get back at sooner or later), we have to put up with whatever we are feeling - whether it is the urge to burst into tears (even if we don't know why we want to), moan like a sharp-tongued old lady or practice our screaming abilities for the next Scream film.

Although the bad feelings are, well, pretty bad, don't forget that there are plenty of great things to feel good about, too. From happiness to falling in love (a feeling of which 99.9% of the female population yearns to have), we can actually be glad that we feel several emotions so strongly - if only the same could be said about the bad ones!

Yet feeling anything is bound to drain us from time to time because it does feel (pardon the pun) like a full-time job. Unlike boys, at least we possess the maturity to cope with our emotions, even when it seems that we are struggling inside.

Can you imagine your boyfriend living with our hormones? However much we struggle, we can proudly declare that we make it out in one peace!

2. Our bodies define our femininity and are constantly scrutinized. We can never avoid the glare of the camera!

Perhaps the greatest curse of being a teenage girl is our body, which poses major issues once we hit puberty.

Do you ever remember what your body was like as a young child, or how you felt about it? If you're anything like me, you wouldn't recall anything and, when you're a kid, that's great; at that age, you only care about playing with your friends and leading a care-free life. It's a shame that adolescence doesn't promise that care-free existence that you dream of before you hit your teenage years, but that applies to both genders, though it is fair to say that girls get a harder time of it.

Why? Not only are there a billion and one new things to try out - make-up, clothes, hair-styles, etc - but we suddenly become aware of what we see in the mirror: our bodies. From the moment we are awakened to body types and the most desirable ones, there is no turning back; for a while, we can ignore our reflections (or, better still, get rid of all the mirrors in the house), but it will eventually come back to haunt us like a ghost. And, once the preferred body shape has been determined, an urge to develop it takes hold.

Whether it involves gorging on all of the quarter-pounders in the world or gaining a degree in calorie-counting, becoming conscious of what we consume - and treat our bodies - is a very easy trap to fall into. And, if you take it too far, you will then know how a mouse feels when it is trapped.

But (I say this very loudly), there is a way that you avoid the glare of the camera whilst being happy: don't give in. If other girls or your friends are obsessed with their figures, nothing is to say that you should follow the crowd. It's their issue, not yours!

Eat well, exercise when you can (Zumba classes at school would be my dream P.E. lesson) and be grateful for your body. Some people sadly lose limbs or suffer from illness, but you should appreciate what your body can do, rather than how it looks. OK, those words are easier said than applied into real-life circumstances, yet it is a fact that is easily forgotten.

As for the femininity bit, girls do look a certain way, but we could also say the same about boys. We are who we are and, if we relieved ourselves of the pressure to 'look perfect', the world would be a better place. Without exasperated strops!

3. We are always referred to the 'weaker sex' by men - even though they would never survive childbirth!

Sexist, rude and downright offensive. I, alongside the entire female population, am tired of being called 'weak' because of being born as a girl - in this day and age, sexism should no longer exist, nor should we still be talking about it when it ought to have been banished long ago. But here I am, complaining about the thoughtless comments that grown-up men and young boys make, surely without their minds processing what they say.

It drives me around the bend when I hear boys picking on one another, joking that they play football 'like a girl'. Harmless those words might seem but, once you dig beyond the surface, you cannot escape the true meaning which is disguised by the joking tone: being a girl displays weakness which men and boys cannot neither respect nor ignore. Sometimes, I speak up and ask what is the big deal about playing like a girl, but my words make no difference - urgh, my blood pressure shoots up at the thought of it!

So, I have got a little trick up my sleeve which proves whether a man or boy is as strong as he believes. As a documentary lover, I quite like to watch One Born Every Minute, which documents the births of babies. Therefore, you see the mother (sometimes in rather indecent positions) in labour before the baby pops out - not exactly the most beautiful of all spectacles!

Whenever I'm watching it, I call my younger brother into the living room, in the hope of finding out whether they could bear catching a glimpse of the blood and whatever. And, so far, I have never been disappointed: my brother freaks out if I tell him that I'm watching the show, so he avoids the TV at all costs!

This proves my theory: boys might joke about girls being weak, but they display their weak side by refusing to watch a show in which women are at their strongest!

4. Fridge, watch out - my cravings are on the prowl!