A Teenage Girl’s Secret World
A Teenage Girl’s Secret World
By Giulia Helms
Sheer shades, pansy wallpaper, and colorful vintage posters. To 90s Hollywood, this was girlhood. As documented time and time again in the media, teenage girls have seemingly always used their bedrooms as safe havens, able to shut the door and close themselves off into their own little worlds. Being able to decorate, play music, and ultimately feel secure in one’s privacy is important to all adolescents, but for girls, it’s different. Girls’ minds mature faster than boys, allowing them to explore their interests and talents at a younger age. Young girls are often found circulating through room decor, music taste, clothes, and literature to understand their feelings and hobbies, harnessing the rooms they occupy to figure themselves out. Beyond its four walls, a girl's bedroom is a canvas for self-expression and creativity, and the beginning of a life yet lived.
In the past few months, the coquette aesthetic, paired with the “girl’s bedroom” aesthetic has had an up-spike across the internet, taking TikTok and Instagram by storm. With heavy inspiration from Sofia Coppola films—such as The Virgin Suicides, Marie Antoinette, and Priscilla—Greta Gerwig’s Ladybird, and Leah Meyerhoff’s I Believe in Unicorns, many girls have found an increased comfort in decorating their bedrooms with lace curtains, tulle canopies, vintage movie posters, candles, and so forth. Taking heavy inspiration from The Virgin Suicides, the idea of “tidy messiness” has also become a niche trend among girls, finding that clutter like jewelry, magazines, lacey intimates, and perfume bottles makes the room feel more cozy and real. It's a place where they can express themselves freely, away from the scrutiny of others. This autonomy fosters a sense of self-reliance and confidence as they learn to make decisions about their personal space.
As girls transition from childhood to adolescence, having their own bedroom helps establish boundaries and facilitates the process of identity formation. It's where they can experiment with different styles, interests, and hobbies as they navigate the complexities of growing up. While a girl's bedroom is primarily her private space, it also serves as a venue for socializing and bonding with friends and family. Whether it's hosting sleepovers, movie nights, or simply hanging out, girls can cultivate meaningful interactions in their rooms by creating memories and shared experiences in a space that is comfortable and familiar, contributing to their social development and enriching their emotional connections.
Although some media, such as the 2019 drama series Euphoria, undermines the benefits of a girl’s bedroom—for the protagonist, Rue Bennett, her bedroom confines her. As she falls deeper into depressive episodes, it acts as a trap, forbidding her from interacting with the outside world—many girls are actively trying to reclaim their rooms for themselves by focusing on works that positively represent them and reclaiming “girliness” with pinks, stuffed animals, frills, and more in their bedrooms. The girls’ bedroom should be a place to seek refuge and should never make them feel stressed, which is why the new aesthetic of the “girl’s room” is very laid back, but still thought out. Girls' bedrooms are not just places to sleep; they are multifunctional spaces that play a pivotal role in their development and well-being. They are sanctuaries where teenage girls can truly be themselves and embark on a journey of self-discovery.
