# On being 18....



## Weeze (Jul 28, 2009)

So. I was thinking again. I know, someone should take away my thread-creating liscence 
But I began thinking about history and things, and I'm wondering what younger fat chicks like myself take for granted. 
Do older bbw's feel like people my age have it easier? Do we? How so?
How can we improve things to make it easier for girls even younger right now?
Oh, and if you're a young'un, speak up


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## fatgirlflyin (Jul 28, 2009)

krismiss said:


> So. I was thinking again. I know, someone should take away my thread-creating liscence
> But I began thinking about history and things, and I'm wondering what younger fat chicks like myself take for granted.
> Do older bbw's feel like people my age have it easier? Do we? How so?
> How can we improve things to make it easier for girls even younger right now?
> Oh, and if you're a young'un, speak up



This is a great idea for a thread! 

I think there's much more to choose from as far as clothes go, and just flat out more fat people around. I was a teenager 20 years ago and all through high school it was pretty much me and one other fat chick. Would have been kind of nice to have seen more people around like me, and to be able to dress like the other girls did.


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## smithnwesson (Jul 28, 2009)

Fuck! I've got socks that are older than 18. Ya'll carry on. . . - Jim


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## PamelaLois (Jul 28, 2009)

Heck yeah, you kids got it easy. Why, when I was your age, I had to trudge through the snow, barefoot, uphill, both ways, to school.........OK, so not really, but I do think that you have it better in one particular way. When I was your age there were NO decent cute clothes for larger sized kids. I was not even "that" big, at about a size 14-16, and I could not find any jeans, cute tops, nothing that was stylish and age-appropriate. The only store to shop at was Lane Bryant, which back in the 70s, was pretty much just old lady clothes. 

So I do envy you young girls the pretty things you can find and wear now. If I had your choices back in the day, I would have been a complete clotheshorse!

Just as a reference point, I am 46.


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## StarWitness (Jul 28, 2009)

The fact that we grew up with the Internet gives us a major advantage over previous generations. 

It seems like a global douchebag factory some days, but overall, how many of us felt really redeemed in our unpopular beliefs by finding something online that proved to us that we weren't alone? The ability we have to form communities that transcend geography and are based solely on what our values/beliefs/interests are is revolutionary, and an amazing gift. Yeah nerds!

And that people our age can find that _during high school_? How lucky are we? I don't know what would have happened to me if I didn't have certain online communities for support and information during those confusing, alienating years.


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## BubbleButtBabe (Jul 29, 2009)

krismiss said:


> So. I was thinking again. I know, someone should take away my thread-creating liscence
> But I began thinking about history and things, and I'm wondering what younger fat chicks like myself take for granted.
> Do older bbw's feel like people my age have it easier? Do we? How so?
> How can we improve things to make it easier for girls even younger right now?
> Oh, and if you're a young'un, speak up




Yes the younger generation has it a lot easier. For one you now have nice clothing that doesn't look like it belongs to your GrandMa in different size ranges..You have sites such as this where men openly worship bigger bodies,back in the day men hid such preferences..Since more and more people are gaining weight it is not as big a stigma as it use to be..Believe it or not there are a lot more tolerant people now then back in the 60's,70's and 80's..The internet has opened doors for young people that we did not have way back when..

Teaching the younger generation to be proud of who they are no matter their size and be more accepting of themselves..They need to learn to respect themselves as well as others..Breaks my heart to see how some of the really young women act..You can tell they have no self respect and it is sad..


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## Santaclear (Jul 29, 2009)

I've seen a really big difference in young fat women's attitudes, especially in the last five years, and I'm pretty sure the internet is to "blame."  

While we still see and hear the same negative crap in the media (and from people in our lives), there is more of a feeling of empowerment and not being alone than before. 

(This spoken from a 53 year-old guy's viewpoint.)


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## Fascinita (Jul 29, 2009)

PamelaLois said:


> When I was your age there were NO decent cute clothes for larger sized kids.



Me, too. I remember having to shop in the ladies "plus" department at some point in my teens, and feeling embarrassed about that. It felt shameful to be excluded from what the other girls wore, from the Juniors department.


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## S13Drifter (Jul 29, 2009)

In just what I have seen living for only 20 years. Ever since the 2000's a big women empowerment movement has accrued and from what i see it looks like it would be easier. But this more of the view from the outside looking in.


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## olwen (Jul 29, 2009)

I think in some ways it is easier for millennials, and in other respects it isn't. It's a bit easier because you have access to so much information and so many ways to express yourselves, you also reap the benefits of the women's movement. Women now have more choices for themselves than they have in previous decades. There isn't an expectation that you will automatically want to be a homemaker or that there is something wrong with you or the status of your womanhood if you don't. Yay to that.

Ironically it's a bit harder because you have had access to so much information basically all your lives. There is no huge learning curve for using new technology like there is for people who have lived a huge chunk of their lives without it (If digital metrics are to be believed, older folks are catching up tho).

It's now up to you to know how to drown out the BS from the truth; to know when fat is being demonized and how to demonstrate that with practical and relevant examples. The onus is on you to know to educate yourselves. There is too much information, and too many ways to get and share information for one to be ignorant about anything these days.


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## thatgirl08 (Jul 30, 2009)

Older people always think the younger ones have it easier.. not just when it comes to this but any issue really. Generally speaking, I find this to be false. Things have changed but who is to say it's any easier? It's so easy to condescend (not quite the word I'm looking for but I can't quite put my finger on the right one) and act as though someone elses plight isn't as bad as yours is/was. 

Who doesn't hate hearing "you think that's bad, wait until you hear what happened to me!"?

EDIT: ps I'm 18 and have a general dislike of any over age 25 cause I'm a rowdy teenager so take everything I say with a grain of salt (meant half in jest. yes, half.)

EDIT2: ps it's too late for me to be posting .. I'm tired and everything is coming out jumbled so someone should take away my posting license as well.


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## Tau (Jul 30, 2009)

I don't think easier is the right word. The internet means that, unlike fat people from 20/30/40 years ago younger fat people and fat admirers know that they aren't alone. Discovering the internet when I was 19 opened so many doors for me just because of how much my own thinking changed from being exposed to other fat people and communities on the internet. In my circle of friends I'm still the lone fattie ranting on about plus rights. In South Africa fat rights are a completely foreign concept - even though something like 60% of our population wears a size 16 - so finding kindred spirits was just the most incredible gift for me. That has been a blessing. It doesn't mean though that discrimination has ended or that even though there is the odd shop that will carry a hot fat girl outfit I still spend hours longer than my friends trying to make sure I look good just cos what looks good on me isn't available. There's still a long, long way to go for all fatties of every age - its just really encouraging to know that I'm not doing it alone


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## olwen (Jul 30, 2009)

Found this on wikipedia today:

Generation Z Who knew.
List of Generations


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## Miss Vickie (Jul 31, 2009)

thatgirl08 said:


> Older people always think the younger ones have it easier.. not just when it comes to this but any issue really.



Not true. I'm an older person (44) and I don't think younger people have it easier, so your characterization of "older people" isn't quite accurate. In some ways perhaps, things are a little easier since you're more likely to find others who can guide you. When I was growing up in the 70's, there was no internet and so I only had my group of friends to rely on, and we were all screwed up by society's views of body image. Had I had SA to give me another perspective besides fat is ugly, I might not have had to work so hard to like myself, and I'm sure I wouldn't have taken half the shit I took from boys my age!

But I think in many ways it is harder for teens now. There are way more options, the world is far more complicated, and you're forced to grow up a lot faster than I did. I think in many ways it's harder to be a teen now than before, even though you have more opportunities to engage in people who will help you accept your size.

And no, I'm not going to take what you say with a grain of salt. You put it out there, just like we all do, and we're all free to respond.


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## sweet&fat (Jul 31, 2009)

Not easier per se, but the internet is an enormous resource for like-minded people/community and better clothing (not good, but better). I felt absolutely isolated as a teen, heavier than any person I knew, and I was actually significantly thinner than I am now! I'd like to think that I would have cut the number of my self-loathing years had I known of dimensions and had easy access to more figure flattering clothing websites at 18, but who knows? Plight remains constant for certain, but that is one significant generational difference. 



thatgirl08 said:


> Older people always think the younger ones have it easier.. not just when it comes to this but any issue really. Generally speaking, I find this to be false. Things have changed but who is to say it's any easier? It's so easy to condescend (not quite the word I'm looking for but I can't quite put my finger on the right one) and act as though someone elses plight isn't as bad as yours is/was.
> 
> Who doesn't hate hearing "you think that's bad, wait until you hear what happened to me!"?
> 
> ...


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## thatgirl08 (Jul 31, 2009)

Miss Vickie said:


> Not true. I'm an older person (44) and I don't think younger people have it easier, so your characterization of "older people" isn't quite accurate. In some ways perhaps, things are a little easier since you're more likely to find others who can guide you. When I was growing up in the 70's, there was no internet and so I only had my group of friends to rely on, and we were all screwed up by society's views of body image. Had I had SA to give me another perspective besides fat is ugly, I might not have had to work so hard to like myself, and I'm sure I wouldn't have taken half the shit I took from boys my age!
> 
> But I think in many ways it is harder for teens now. There are way more options, the world is far more complicated, and you're forced to grow up a lot faster than I did. I think in many ways it's harder to be a teen now than before, even though you have more opportunities to engage in people who will help you accept your size.
> 
> And no, I'm not going to take what you say with a grain of salt. You put it out there, just like we all do, and we're all free to respond.





sweet&fat said:


> Not easier per se, but the internet is an enormous resource for like-minded people/community and better clothing (not good, but better). I felt absolutely isolated as a teen, heavier than any person I knew, and I was actually significantly thinner than I am now! I'd like to think that I would have cut the number of my self-loathing years had I known of dimensions and had easy access to more figure flattering clothing websites at 18, but who knows? Plight remains constant for certain, but that is one significant generational difference.



Point(s) taken. I agree that the internet has been a great resource for many people because of sites like this. It just bothers me to see older members of the community act as though it's all rainbows and puppies now. That just isn't an accurate reflection of reality.


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## LonesomeKreature (Aug 4, 2009)

I'm 19 and i think that is some ways we have it easier. We have an easier time finding clothing (granted it's way expensive a lot of the times) and over the past years it has slowly become more accepted to be "bigger". I think we just got shafted with how other people raise their children cause believe me i did not have an easy time growing up with the other kids. I ended up becoming very suicidal and began to self mutilate my body so i guess it really depends on your outlook.


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## MsGreenLantern (Aug 4, 2009)

olwen said:


> Found this on wikipedia today:
> 
> Generation Z Who knew.
> List of Generations



Okay as a side note here... I am insulted by my generational name lumping. I find very very little in common with kids who grew up in the early 90's when I myself was born in 1984. I think these groupings are too large. I had no computer until after windows 95 came out, when I was 12. I didn't have cell phones in Jr. High like kids born in 1994 probably did... [1996-1999]. stupid charts! We didn't even watch the same cartoons! >.< They never experienced the joy of over sized T-shirts, spandex, T-shirt knotting, fluorescent everything or pogs!... anyway. Onward with topic!

Younger people have it easier. I didn't have unmonitored internet access until I was about 15, but since then I have been an internet hog. It is simple. Everything you'd ever ever need to know is here. Including support. My health flares up: find a support forum for that problem. Work sucks: IM your friends. You've got porn, informational sites, news programs, tv shows, homework help/cheating, how-tos on everything known to man, and forums out the butt. 

Younger have it easier. If they say otherwise, they're whiney and should try growing up without a computer or text messaging. 

MY only computers in elementary school were Apples from 1986 that played lemonade stand and Oregon trail. I didn't get my first cell phone until college. I used a walk-man, and then disc-man growing up, not an ipod with internet, video, download, camera, god-knows-what. My anime was sent away for in snail mail and put on VHS fansubs! My fat butt was unaware that anyone found me attractive besides a pedo college guy I talked to on the internet when I was 15... yeah we didn't know about internet safety then either.

I am lumping myself older than the young, but younger than the old. I was on the literal cusp of the internet age. Born before internet was around, found it in Jr.High, mastered it as an adult.


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## Aust99 (Aug 4, 2009)

I definatly think we (i'm 24) do have "being a bbw" eaiser growing up now. We have some pretty amazing clothing (although expensive, I agree) and the support forums and information out their for us is vast and defo helpful. I guess people younger than me have it even eaiser again, as I do have memories of some horrid clothing brought from the adult plus sections, never meant for the body of a 14-17 year old. I recently cleaned out some clothes and was truly amazed by some of the outfits I had in my closet...... not trendy or cute at all and I felt a little sad for that 17yr old girl. Thank god we have access to so many beautiful, trendy,cute and _flattering_ clothes now days.


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## Tooz (Aug 4, 2009)

MsGreenLantern said:


> Okay as a side note here... I am insulted by my generational name lumping. I find very very little in common with kids who grew up in the early 90's when I myself was born in 1984. I think these groupings are too large. I had no computer until after windows 95 came out, when I was 12. I didn't have cell phones in Jr. High like kids born in 1994 probably did... [1996-1999]. stupid charts! We didn't even watch the same cartoons! >.< They never experienced the joy of over sized T-shirts, spandex, T-shirt knotting, fluorescent everything or pogs!... anyway. Onward with topic!
> 
> Younger people have it easier. I didn't have unmonitored internet access until I was about 15, but since then I have been an internet hog. It is simple. Everything you'd ever ever need to know is here. Including support. My health flares up: find a support forum for that problem. Work sucks: IM your friends. You've got porn, informational sites, news programs, tv shows, homework help/cheating, how-tos on everything known to man, and forums out the butt.
> 
> ...



I have to agree. Kevin and I were having a discussion with some people in their early 40s a few weeks back. We were kind of talking about "things have changed," and they told us we had no idea really. I came back with the concept that we DID, and then I proceeded to make a list. I actually think those born in 1984 are on the very end of the previous generation's cusp. I didn't have a cell phone until I was in college. My mother AND father are basically in the tech/net field, and even then, I really didn't start using the internet until late 1998, when I was 14. I really feel that my upbringing experience was quite different than even some people born in 1985-1987. 

I felt terribly old the other day when a friend of mine who is 11 months younger than me did NOT know what Hypercolor was. I remember t-shirt knotting, spandex, Pogs and all that! It really is an incredibly different experience. (To the person I'm quoting, PLEASE tell me your fansubs were from VKLL? Lol.)

Anyway, I think 18 year olds have a completely different climate to grow up in now, even the fat ones. I don't doubt they face a lot of the same discriminations I did, but the only "cute" clothing I could find was in Girlfriends LA, and now, with the internet, you guys have a lot more options. I also used to think the only people who liked fat girls were creepy old guys. With the new networking sites, it's easy to see that's not the case from a much earlier age.


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## Dr. Feelgood (Aug 4, 2009)

thatgirl08 said:


> It just bothers me to see older members of the community act as though it's all rainbows and puppies now. That just isn't an accurate reflection of reality.



It's more accurate if you remember that puppies pee on you.


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## Tad (Aug 4, 2009)

Teenage years can always be tough, and experiences are incredibly individual. It can make all the difference (good or bad) that you happened to sit beside person X in grade seven, or that you had teacher Y for home room in grade nine. I guess that is why there are so many coming of age stories, while the broad themes are universal enough to resonate with all of us, the details are so varied that a lot of distinct stories can be told. I think making any sort of broad statement about generations having it harder or easier is about as meaningful as asking what is the weather like in the United States today? 

Having said that, on really broad levels, generations can have differing experiences. For example, at (I think it was) age thirty, the first third of the baby-boom generation were making 10% more (adjusted) than their parents had at the same age, while those in the last third of the baby boom were making about 30% less than their parents had (this is from the book Boom, Bust & Echo which is a good starting point for looking at generations). My experience in high school and university were different from that of my older siblings due to the fact when I was fifteen my family got a home computer with a printer of quality just good enough to be acceptable at school, so I wrote most of my essays and papers on a word processor, so at a critical age I got used to being able to cut and paste, instead of having to get everything correct the first time. Certainly anyone who hit puberty in the developed world in the last fifteen years has had a very different experience of discovering their sexuality due to the existence of the web.


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## BubbleButtBabe (Aug 5, 2009)

I kind of chuckle when I see everyone talking about their first computers.I didn't get one until I was 40 something and that was back in 2001..When I was young the only people that had computers were NASA,the FBI and other parts of the government...Those babies rocked..They were the size of a small warehouse and very few people were allowed into a room with them..Tells you how old I am....LOL

I agree that in some aspects of life teenagers now days have it rough..You are exposed to sex at a very young age..You have the media blitzing you to be dressed up like a 25 year old at 12..You are spoon fed crap over and over by the media and are told to take it as the truth..Your innocence is taken away to early by movies and sitcoms..I feel sorry for you..You stop being a kid way to early and that is no fun..On the other hand a lot of my generation did as well...We had to take over the rolls our Mothers had in the home..Some of us had to learn how to cook,clean,do laundry and be an adult with very adult responsibilities way to young..Our Mothers were finally allowed into the work field and most took jobs outside of the home to help make enough money to survive..Some of you probably do not ever remember a time your Mother didn't work..I can remember but I was really young..We were expected to step up and do it...So every generation has had it hard,we have just had different things to deal with..


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## thatgirl08 (Aug 10, 2009)

MsGreenLantern said:


> Younger have it easier. If they say otherwise, they're whiney and should try growing up without a computer or text messaging.



Yeah, I mean, texting and IMing people TOTALLY makes me feel better about being 3x the size of my average classmate.

Oh, wait..


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## Tooz (Aug 11, 2009)

thatgirl08 said:


> Yeah, I mean, texting and IMing people TOTALLY makes me feel better about being 3x the size of my average classmate.
> 
> Oh, wait..



I'm not sure that's what she means exactly. When I think of younger people having it easier due to technology, I think of the fact that the younger generations have had the luxury of technology that caters to their every whim/interest. You don't have to wait for something to come on TV (or not have TV at all!), you can go view it online somewhere.

Regarding size, being a fat teen is still difficult, but I think having access to a network of people in the same boat is just something people who are >24 didn't have.


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## ashmamma84 (Aug 11, 2009)

MsGreenLantern said:


> Okay as a side note here... I am insulted by my generational name lumping. I find very very little in common with kids who grew up in the early 90's when I myself was born in 1984. I think these groupings are too large. I had no computer until after windows 95 came out, when I was 12. I didn't have cell phones in Jr. High like kids born in 1994 probably did... [1996-1999]. stupid charts! We didn't even watch the same cartoons! >.< They never experienced the joy of over sized T-shirts, spandex, T-shirt knotting, fluorescent everything or pogs!... anyway. Onward with topic!
> 
> Younger people have it easier. I didn't have unmonitored internet access until I was about 15, but since then I have been an internet hog. It is simple. Everything you'd ever ever need to know is here. Including support. My health flares up: find a support forum for that problem. Work sucks: IM your friends. You've got porn, informational sites, news programs, tv shows, homework help/cheating, how-tos on everything known to man, and forums out the butt.
> 
> ...



OMG! This. Every word of it. 

And Oregon Trails...ahhh the memories. I didn't start listening to R&B or anything on the radio until I was 14 or so. Kids are just not sheltered anymore; the age of innocence of wiped away at an incredibly early age now. 

I did not grow up naive, but I definitely grew up sheltered; I think I'd be hard pressed to find 17 or 18 year olds who have the same experience. Hell, I was just at my cousin's trunk party over the weekend and as I was visiting with my relatives, I found myself talking to my much older cousins instead of the 19 and 20 year old kin. I feel like I'm a world or two away from them.


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## thatgirl08 (Aug 11, 2009)

I played Oregon Trails too.. just saying! It was a great game:]



Tooz said:


> I'm not sure that's what she means exactly. When I think of younger people having it easier due to technology, I think of the fact that the younger generations have had the luxury of technology that caters to their every whim/interest. You don't have to wait for something to come on TV (or not have TV at all!), you can go view it online somewhere.
> 
> Regarding size, being a fat teen is still difficult, but I think having access to a network of people in the same boat is just something people who are >24 didn't have.



The thing is though, you aren't that old either.. you're what, 24 or something, as is MsGreenLatern.. we ARE the same generation. Just pointing that out. I think the real difference is not people my age, but rather kids who are little now. They're the ones who were given cell phones as a birthday present when they were five and have no idea what a VCR or walkman is. I grew up in the 90's but I still used a walkman when I was little and didn't get a cellphone until high school and I STILL don't own an iPod. I'm 18, not 8, we didn't have a DVD player until I was.. 12 or 13 I think. 

Also, yeah, having this community was great for me but I'd like to point out that probably 99% of fat teens don't realize Dimensions or NAAFA or whatever exists.


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## Tooz (Aug 11, 2009)

thatgirl08 said:


> I played Oregon Trails too.. just saying! It was a great game:]
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Yeah, I'm 25, but what I think I said on the first page is that there is a sort of minor cusp between those born in or before 1984 or so and those born after. While it may be within the same generation, even within generations there can be great differences in the societies in which we develop. WOW, hello crap grammar. Anyway. High school, for example, is a highly formative time, and getting a cell phone in high school versus in college can actually make a big difference. Frankly, I see no point in anyone having a cell phone until they go away to college (or live at home, but have a long commute).

Not to be "1 up," as I am not trying to, but I didn't have a DVD player until I was almost 20. I guess I'm just trying to prove my point that those few years can change a lot, just like there is a huuuuge difference between 18 and 25.

Not that I know everything-- I'm not saying 25 is the pinnacle of adulthood, heh.


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## thatgirl08 (Aug 12, 2009)

Tooz said:


> Yeah, I'm 25, but what I think I said on the first page is that there is a sort of minor cusp between those born in or before 1984 or so and those born after. While it may be within the same generation, even within generations there can be great differences in the societies in which we develop. WOW, hello crap grammar. Anyway. High school, for example, is a highly formative time, and getting a cell phone in high school versus in college can actually make a big difference. Frankly, I see no point in anyone having a cell phone until they go away to college (or live at home, but have a long commute).
> 
> Not to be "1 up," as I am not trying to, but I didn't have a DVD player until I was almost 20. I guess I'm just trying to prove my point that those few years can change a lot, just like there is a huuuuge difference between 18 and 25.
> 
> Not that I know everything-- I'm not saying 25 is the pinnacle of adulthood, heh.



No no, I get your point. I think you're right that there is a big difference between 18 and 25 but it's not quite the same as someone who is say, 40, who didn't have a cell phone until a few years ago or someone who is 60 still clinging to their VCR. 

For the record, I only got a cell phone in high school because my mother got rid of the house phone so I needed a way to communicate.

All in all though, despite minor differences the fact remains that you and I grew up in similiar environments time-wise.


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## Tad (Aug 12, 2009)

I dont remember the exact details, but I recall some study that basically keyed in on 16 as a key age for technology. Basically 16 year olds were amongst the most enthusiastic embracers of any new technology, including penetration rate, mastery of it, and so on, and on the flip side the technology available when you were 16 seemed to kind of mark your world view forever, a sort of formative age thing I guess.

Not that older folk can't adopt something new....talking about averages over large populations. (but I admit, to me cell phones aren't essential enough that I've been willing to pay the high Canadian prices for one yet. We are supposed to get some new companies next year, maybe prices will finally come down some and I'll get a smart phone.....but how many people who grew up with cell phones consider them a luxury not a necessity?)


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## Still a Skye fan (Aug 12, 2009)

I don't even remember being 18, let alone what went on around me back then...it was just my final year of high school (which I was desperate to escape from) and my first year of college (I didn't know what the hell I wanted to do with myself...I was an english major).

I'm 43, so I was a Generation X (hate that term!) 1980s kid. I never saw a computer until 1978 in 7th grade and never actually learned anything about them until my last year of high school (1984), when a computer lab was set up. Somehow I survived college AND grad school without the Internet...I graduated in 1992 and my grad school was JUST starting to get the Internet then. I've never had an ipod or mp3 player...never had a need for one, when I want to hear music, I turn on this thing called a radio or put on a CD/tape/album. I've also survived 43 years without ever owning a cell phone and I don't plan to get one any time soon.

Since I'm a guy, obviously I can't identify with BBWs.:happy: During my high school years, I recall one gal who was a BBW and 2-3 others who weren't quite that size, they were just sorta chunky/chubby I guess ~shrugs~ I recall the BBW taking crap from the thin girls periodically due to her size...not from me, I wasn't sure why I found these gals' size appealing.

Over the past 25 years since I graduated high school, I'd say attitudes have changed. I see more BBWs who are far more confident and seem to be much happier with themselves than the girls I went to school with. I imagine there are better clothing styles and choices today, etc...

Do young people today have it easier? That's a matter of opinion. I certainly don't think having a wealth of technology at our fingertips has made life better, it's just different is all.

I work in a public library. Our computers in the kids area are constantly full of kids who'd rather play computer games on a gorgeous summer day. I get kids who ask me what time it is, I point out the big clock on the wall behind them and since it's not digital, they can't tell time! I get kids who only read when they absolutely have to. I've seen shocking levels of ignorance which I could go on all day about...having the internet certainly hasn't raised a generation of geniuses but there's something seriously wrong with our educational system today.

Oh well, this is making me feel old.

Have a great day every one


Dennis


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## ashmamma84 (Aug 12, 2009)

Tooz said:


> Yeah, I'm 25, but what I think I said on the first page is that there is a sort of minor cusp between those born in or before 1984 or so and those born after. While it may be within the same generation, even within generations there can be great differences in the societies in which we develop. WOW, hello crap grammar. Anyway. High school, for example, is a highly formative time, and getting a cell phone in high school versus in college can actually make a big difference. Frankly, I see no point in anyone having a cell phone until they go away to college (or live at home, but have a long commute).
> 
> Not to be "1 up," as I am not trying to, but I didn't have a DVD player until I was almost 20. *I guess I'm just trying to prove my point that those few years can change a lot, just like there is a huuuuge difference between 18 and 25.*
> Not that I know everything-- I'm not saying 25 is the pinnacle of adulthood, heh.



Hello! When I was 18 I had no concerns about health insurance, 401k, buying a home, paying hefty student loans, trying to get a foot in the door with careers, working on advanced degrees, etc. Those things become very real issues by your mid twenties; well, at least for me they did. 

At 18 I was still covered by my parents great insurance, had plenty of food, more clothes than I knew what to do with, lived in a big comfy house, etc. In short, I wasn't as grown as I thought I was. At that age, you don't really think about being 30 years old and what that might mean in terms of responsibility. 

And now, being a professional in my 20's -- I pay rent up in this bitch! I have to deal with my copays and left over balances if my insurance doesn't pay out in full, my partner and I are paying for master's/doctoral degrees. I have FULL responsibility for my life (and I'd go as far to say I have responsibility for my partner's as well because we function as a unit). Those are things you don't really "get" until you experience them. That, and 30 years old doesn't seem so old at all.


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## thatgirl08 (Aug 12, 2009)

I simply must be an anomaly. That's the only conclusion left.


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## Tooz (Aug 12, 2009)

ashmamma84 said:


> Hello! When I was 18 I had no concerns about health insurance, 401k, buying a home, paying hefty student loans, trying to get a foot in the door with careers, working on advanced degrees, etc. Those things become very real issues by your mid twenties; well, at least for me they did.
> 
> At 18 I was still covered by my parents great insurance, had plenty of food, more clothes than I knew what to do with, lived in a big comfy house, etc. In short, I wasn't as grown as I thought I was. At that age, you don't really think about being 30 years old and what that might mean in terms of responsibility.
> 
> And now, being a professional in my 20's -- I pay rent up in this bitch! I have to deal with my copays and left over balances if my insurance doesn't pay out in full, my partner and I are paying for master's/doctoral degrees. I have FULL responsibility for my life (and I'd go as far to say I have responsibility for my partner's as well because we function as a unit). Those are things you don't really "get" until you experience them. That, and 30 years old doesn't seem so old at all.



Yes, exactly.


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## Observer (Aug 13, 2009)

Wow - reading all this the week after being asked to join the committee for my high school's fiftieth reunion next year takes me waaaay back.

What am I? Generation A? For pre baby-boomer? One who remembers mini-golf courses, bowling alleys, drive-in movies and unhelmeted bike riding being the primary entertainments - and black and white television if someone on your block happend to have one? 

We had A&W and Big Boy drive ins, but you had to out of high school to have your own car. Kids like me rode their bike to school - or walked. We didn't have crossing guards to protect us, nor Amber alerts or gangs. Some of the dopey kids smoked bootleg ciggarettes after school, but they were losers and everyone knew who they were. We even had a partially functional hobo camp, left over from the depression.

True story: my parents were taking my sister and I to the movies on Tuesday night and the cashier remarked that our doing so together was remarkble. "Why" asked my dad. "Most families in town are home watching Milton Berle," she replied. The next day my dad bought a television because he didn't want his family to be feeling deprived (none of us had even been lobbying)!

Another true story: I was a Perry Mason fan but it was on Saturday nights, So I rigged a Webcor tape recorder microphone next to the TV speaker and asked my mom to record the audio so I could listen to Raymond Burr and co on Sunday (nope, we didn't have VCR's then either). The golden age of radio hadn't died yet and I had been weaned on the Lone Ranger, Philo Vance, Space Patrol and Charlie McCarthy - all great, but the babyboomers missed them. Jack Benny, Lucille Ball and a few others transitioned to television but I remember when ...

So who had it easier?

The answer after half a century, every generation is different. I had to travel to large libraries and work for hours to ferret out what google now supplies in moments. My childhood is filled with memories of scouts and workup softball in the middle of a street full of stay at home moms. Latch key kids existed but we treated them like relatives and siblings without giving it a thought. And I guess we were ahead of the curve on multi-culturalism - we had various ethnic and racial heritages in school, but we never thought of squaring off on that basis. 

Scandal was a teenage girl having to marry a guy who the dropped out of high school to become gas station attendent and everyone knew why - but they did get married. Several very smart kids who were "too busy" to do their term papers turmed in duplicates to different teachers - and got caught, their work put on public display. 

I don't think kids today can relate to my era any more than I could relate as a kid to prohibition and the depression. Each has its own experiances and challenges. But what counts in every generation is certain traits of character which seem to be universal - caring, honesty, a work ethic, serving others. Those teens and young adults I see doing these things (and they do exist in abundance) are in their own way doing what my eneration had o do all over and very succesfully so. 

I'll be seeing people from the fifties nerxt summer - we'll be greyer and hopefully wiser. As for the millenials who may read this, just wait. Your fiftieth reunion will come in time - sooner than you now think.


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