Sweet Sixteen Birthdays
Having grown up in the United States, “Sweet Sixteen” was a common phrase tossed around. When I was younger, I counted down the years until I would get to have such a special birthday, though I did not know what it was that made it so important. Movies like “Sixteen Candles” and “16 Wishes” were staples for me growing up. I could not wait to celebrate my birthday in the same fashion these teens did with grandiose parties. “16 Wishes” especially emphasized the magic of a girl’s sixteenth birthday by showcasing a teen girl named Abby (played by Debby Ryan) who had the opportunity to make sixteen wishes for her birthday. As someone who was not part of the popular group of girls, Abby gained the opportunity to have all of her dreams come true and to celebrate her sixteenth birthday with the best party around. Besides these popular movies, there were also TV shows like “My Super Sweet 16” which also depicted teens’ grand 16th birthday celebrations.
What Is a Sweet Sixteen Birthday
For those of you who are not familiar with the American “sweet sixteen”, it is a celebration of a girl’s coming-of-age birthday and it shares some similarities with the Mexican quinceañera, which I will explore in a later blog if you are interested in reading about that. It is the type of birthday that many people go all out for. Some places such as Vienna of Roslyn offer special event planning services just for these birthdays. Some people even go as far as to get professional photos taken to commemorate this special birthday! Blogs like Fix the Photo have lists of photo shoot ideas, catering to various styles.
How do teens really celebrate?
Despite all of the depictions of big parties and fancy dresses in the media, not every teen chooses to celebrate their special birthday this way. For my own Sweet Sixteen, my mom took three of my friends and I out to a nice dinner. There were no big dresses, balloon arches, or extravagant celebrations. Not every girl wants a giant party and that is okay! Current teens’ opinions on sweet sixteens are explored even further in this article from Carroll High School News. A lot of people still have big celebrations for their sixteenth birthday, but it has also become very common to do a smaller celebration with close friends only. I hope to be able to explore sweet sixteens through the blog format by sharing my own experiences as well as by writing about the cultural significance of the event.
The Significance of the Sweet Sixteen
Whether you choose to celebrate big or small, there is no doubt that a girl’s sixteenth birthday is an important one. This blog post by ehow explores some of the things that make the sixteenth birthday so special. In American culture, the sixteenth birthday is the one which celebrates coming of age for a girl, even though she is not legally an adult yet. There are big milestones that come along with turning sixteen, like being able to get a driver’s license. I know that growing up, I could not wait until I was able to drive myself places. The social implications of this birthday are one of the things that make it feel so special. There is a lot of freedom and responsibility that come with turning sixteen which makes this birthday an important one.
References
Rose, G. (2020, March 4). Teens change attitude toward Sweet 16. The Charger Online. https://chargeronline.nacs.k12.in.us/4570/features/teens-change-attitude-toward-sweet-16/
Rossi, T. (2022, March 16). 16th Birthday photoshoot ideas to repeat in 2024. FixThePhoto.com. https://fixthephoto.com/16th-birthday-photoshoot-ideas.html
Turner, R. (2023, June 8). Why is a girl’s sweet 16th birthday important? ehow.com. https://www.ehow.com/info_12121371_girls-sweet-16th-birthday-important.html
Vienna or Roslyn. (2022, December 1). The importance of a girl’s Sweet 16 celebration. https://viennaofroslyn.com/the-importance-of-a-girls-sweet-16-celebration/
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