Wanting to get some other takes here. Why do we think that teenage girls and young women (early 20s) seem to be obsessed with the idea of being “different”?
I see so many social media posts by young women comparing themselves to other young women and pointing out the way they’re “different from the masses” I.e. “eww swifties, I like metal, I could never be a swiftie”. Idk why liking what you like also has to come at the cost of bashing other young women.
Do we think this is internalized misogyny? Are they still in that era of being whatever “cool girl” is to the men they’re pursuing?
Being a woman in my 30s, a millennial, we very much grew up with female main characters like Bella from Twilight, wherein the only reason there’s a story is she’s “not like all the other girls” and I almost feel like that’s something that I had to unlearn in my later twenties. This notion that you have to be different to be interesting or to be an individual. Why do we as young women obsess over this? Why do young women have to put down the likes and interests of other young women for validation? And is it validation from men that they’re seeking subconsciously?
Now that I’m in my 30s, I LOVE having things in common with other women. I love camaraderie and shared experiences. But is that also because I have no interest in male validation anymore?
Just want to get others thoughts on this! Maybe also thoughts on how we help the younger generation realize this?