What Happened to Sweet 16’s?

Jordan Shorter, Staff Writer

Sweet-sixteens are going out of style. I can’t be the only one who has noticed this happening.

Sweet-sixteens for girls seem to be slowly going out of style. Girls still have parties or get-togethers to celebrate, but these are nothing like what sweet sixteen parties used to be like.

I really don’t want this tradition to die. Like Quinceañeras, I would like to see sweet-sixteens never grow old or fall out of style. To me, sweet-sixteens are like a rite of passage for a girl. And they are so much fun! This change that I’ve noticed of sweet-sixteens not being the large and exciting affairs I’d once imagined has really made it confusing for me, and my peers as well.  When we discuss this – turning sixteen – we have no idea what we want to do for our big days. Do we have a sweet sixteen still? Would anyone bother to show up? These are questions I never would have thought to ask myself about my sixteenth birthday.

Nowadays, people are having house gatherings, or going to places like Dave and Busters to celebrate.

I don’t oppose these options, but I am disappointed in them. This is why I am not letting the changing society around me affect my decisions. I will probably still have a sweet-sixteen , knowing my girly-self. I feel like other girly girls shouldn’t deny themselves a party either if they really want one.

Laser tagging and going to the mall or doing other things of that nature are very fun activities, and there is nothing wrong with them, but to me, they just aren’t special enough to celebrate what used to be a huge coming of age moment for girls.