Teenage Interview

Teenage Interview
1) How do you feel about school?
· “It sucks!!! I just hate it”
2) How do you feel about proms?
· “Love them, it’s fun to get your hair and nails done, finding a dress, and of course the “after party”.”
3) How do you feel about the body image?
· “The skinnier, “prettier” girls always have the upper hand. The media focuses more on being skinny.”
4) How do you feel about your friendships?
· “I have a lot of friends, good friends… We just don’t trust each other, its high school, you can’t trust anyone.”
5) Do you have any enemies?
· “Enemies are the worst; they are all liar girls who walk around like they’re better than anyone and cause drama.”
6) Do you have a myspace/facebook? How often do you use them?
· “Yes, I have both and I check them each about six times a day.”
7) Do you want to go to college?
· “Not college but hairdressing school.”
8) Do you work? What are some of your responsibilities?
· “Yes, I work at Applebee’s about 10 hours a week during the school year, I am a hostess, some of my responsibilities include seating guests, bus tables, and keeping the restaurant clean.”
9) How do you feel about teen social events, do you attend them?
· “Yeah, I love socializing and going to different things.”
10) How do you feel about shopping/mall?
· “I love to shop and spend money, its fun.”
11) What are some of your hobbies?
· “Eating, going out with friends, and surfing the web.”
12) Who do you consider to be your role model? Why?
· “Jessica, my sister, because she knows what she wants and she works hard to get it.”
13) Your favorite movie/show?
· “Dirty Dancing and The Hills”
14) Where do you and your friends go to “hang out”?
· “At friends’ houses, we usually do bon fires at night; we also go to the mall and the movies a lot.”
15) What would you like to do in the future?
· “I want to be a hair dresser.”
16) Do you have a boyfriend? How long?
· “No boyfriend right now.”
Analysis
While interviewing this teen, I was able to gather much information about teens and learned different ways in which teens spent their days. Some thing that I found to be comical was her appreciation for her friends that she blatantly states she can’t trust. I believe that teens don’t get the credit that they deserve, this is a young girl, who works hard, goes to school full time, and is consistently doing homework, this sounds so familiar to my life. While reviewing this interview, it is evident to me that teens, as stated by Hine, are just a younger version of us. "I found myself as a beginner, practicing a craft that I'd learn better, making some mistakes that I wouldn't make now" (T. Hine). Also while spending time with this teen; it is evident that she is the “digital native”, while I am the “digital immigrant”. This teen surfs the web as a hobby, spends time everyday almost all day on media communities like MySpace and facebook. It is obvious that if I were to spend a few days with her that she could definitely teach me something new rather than the other way around. This interview gives us a direct view into a teen’s life, it is important for us to acknowledge teens and their struggles in order to fully understand and empathize with the pressures of their lives. I think many of us spend so much time critiquing teens that we are unable to appreciate their company when they are around and that’s such a shame because it always a learning experience and trip down memory lane for me.