HEALTH

Being a teen during puberty is *so* awkward—you're old enough to go on a date to the movies without adult supervision but you still have to get your parents to drop off you and your crush at the theater. And as you get older you start to question what sort of things you should be doing now that you're a "woman." Some of your friends may start to carry purses instead of backpacks or wear lipstick instead of lip balm and you might find yourself wondering, "Should I be doing that?"

Underwear is one of those things that you start questioning. I remember in 8th grade when I was in the locker room changing for volleyball practice and I noticed that a lot of my teammates had on thongs that were way cuter than the worn down boy shorts panties I had on. Feeling a bit insecure about my choice in underwear, I asked one of the girls where she got hers from.

When I got home from practice I immediately told my mom that from now on, I wanted to wear thongs only. She looked at me funny and of course questioned my decision to make the switch. I told her that it was what all the teens were wearing now and that granny panty underwear was for kids. Again she looked at me for a moment in surprise before obliging. 

Well, I quickly learned that giving in to pressure to be like everyone else (in this case, with thongs) was not the way to go. I hated them, they were so uncomfortable! And I felt no more of a woman than I had before. I was still a gawky 15 year old with braces just wearing different underwear.

We're often so concerned with making sure we blend in that we forget about doing the things that make us happy and feel at ease. I did the thong-only thing for a while, but I soon came to realize it wasn't worth it. I would much rather spend my day in a pair of Hello Kitty hipster granny panties than an XS piece of cloth. 

Throughout your teens you are going to be presented with a lot of options and situations that may be difficult to navigate. Word from the wise: Do not be in a rush to grow up! Everyone matures at a different pace and doing things just to look grown up or because it seems like what everyone else is doing doesn't always make it the right decision for you. Enjoy being a kid and enjoy not wearing thongs or underwire bras if you don't have to—sports bras and boy shorts for the win! It's your body so don't let anyone let you think that you have to change who you are or grow up faster than you please. 

Have you ever felt pressured to grow up? Share in the comments! 

We want to hear from you! Send us your weirdest body questions here (seriously, we'll answer anything!) and it just might get featured.

by Karlyn Sykes | 7/3/2017