Teenage girls, please don't worry about being super popular in high school, or being the best actress in high school, or the best athlete. Not only do people not care about any of that the second you graduate, but when you get older, if you reference your successes in high school too much, it actually makes you look kind of pitiful, like some babbling old Tennessee Williams character with nothing else going on in her current life. What I've noticed is that almost no one who was a big star in high school is also big star later in life. For us overlooked kids, it's so wonderfully fair.
In her book "Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?", Mindy Kaling offers advice to teenage girls, urging them not to stress over popularity or high school achievements like acting or athletics. She highlights that these high school accolades are often forgotten once graduation occurs and that dwelling on them in adulthood can come across as sad and desperate. This perspective suggests a broader understanding of success that extends beyond the fleeting moments of adolescence.
Kaling observes that very few individuals who shine brightly in high school continue to achieve that level of success in later life. For those who may feel overlooked or unrecognized during their teenage years, this reality is comforting and serves as a reminder that life holds new opportunities beyond high school. It emphasizes the idea that real fulfillment comes from personal growth and accomplishments that occur outside the pressures of teenage social hierarchies.
