the girl's room
growing up, pop music, and sleepover movies
When I decided to move back to my childhood home and into my teenage bedroom, my parents (because they are the best) offered to redo my room for me. They ripped out the 25-year-old pink carpet stained with chocolate milk from when my brothers used to share the room. They painted over the sad grey/blue walls with the warmest light pink that I picked out.
The sad grey/blue room was what 16-year-old Lizzy picked out. For my birthday, I moved from my small VERY PURPLE bedroom to the bigger bedroom in the house (that wasn’t the master), because my brothers had finally moved out. I was turning 16, getting a bigger bedroom, and I was “maturing”, so naturally I wanted a grey bedroom (curse the millennials). But I really did feel like I was maturing. My old bedroom was so purple I even had purple curtains. It was the home of Webkinz, American Girl Dolls, Disney, and girly pop music. It was a girl's room I was leaving behind. And I entered the teenager room; grey, white sheets, white furniture. (No wonder I was depressed).
But I’m back now and my room is warm again. I may be 22 but returning home has allowed me to be a girl again. My room is pink, there are flowers everywhere, my sheets are patterned with colorful butterflies, and I sleep with two Squishmellows every night. I’ve truly allowed myself to love the things I used to love before teenage angst and pressure filled my room.
The idea of “the girls” room started on Pinterest. I saw an influx of pictures of girlhood on my feed and decided to make a board to remind myself who I was as a girl and the things I can continue to carry with me as I (regretfully) grow up.
Here is that board: the girl's room
The second thing that sparked this trip back to girlhood is sleepovers. I know sleepovers can be a touchy subject when the safety of girls is concerned, but my whole childhood was sleepovers. Staying up late watching movies, painting our nails, texting boys. Waking up next to my best friend (after a terrible night’s sleep because she was a sleeptalker/walker and liked to kick/push/cuddle), having pancakes in the morning, and trying to prolong the sleepover by hiding from my mom when she came to pick me up. I loved them. And I still love them and long for them.
My college friends were never that fond of sleepovers, they liked sleeping in their own beds, preferably alone. I often had to beg my roommate to let me climb into her bed. Later, my other friend would let me sleepover but only because she had an extra mattress for me (that she kept made for whenever I wanted to stay; how thoughtful I could cry thinking about it; we still have never shared a bed).
But when my 22nd birthday came around I knew I wanted one thing: to have all my friends over, eat tons of snacks and cake to make ourselves sick, watch movies, and sleep on a floor bed together in my living room. Reliving the sleepovers of my childhood with the friends of my 20s. It was the best night ever, totally recommend it. But in preparation for this night, I made a list of potential movies we could watch.
Here is my list of movies: the girl's room
I love them all but the night of my birthday party I made my friends watch Holiday In the Sun (which I figured out is just an ad for Bahama’s Atlantis resort but is nostalgic nonetheless) and Cheetah Girl’s 2 (the best cheetah girls movie).
The third thing that sparked this trip back to girlhood is current pop music: Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, and Olivia Rodrigo. I listen to them all periodically, but when Sabrina’s new album Short n’ Sweet came out, and all my friends told me to listen, I felt like I couldn't. What about it was keeping me away? I’ve never disliked Sabrina Carpenter, I liked her on the TV show Girl Meets World. But I never really listened to her music until she started blowing up this past year. I listened to “Espresso” and liked it, but felt weird that I wasn’t obsessed like everyone else. I was however obsessed with “Please Please Please” when it was released. Eventually, I listened to the album, and I liked about half the songs (“Coincidence” is my favorite). I’ve deduced it’s more personal about preference than any resentment for what’s popular and girly (something I definitely might have hated it for when I was 16). Entering this new pop girl inspired me to go back to what I used to listen to as a girl, which led to me creating a 4-hour playlist on Spotify.
Selena Gomez was always on when my friend and I had fashion shows for our moms in her basement.
Katy Perry was essential for the car; coming home from the public pool we would belt “California Girls” and pretend we were in a limo.
Kesha inspired many basement dance parties and let us pretend we were older and cooler than we actually were.
I could go on with more pop icons that soundtracked my childhood, but I think the playlist speaks for itself:
(I did also add current pop girlies because I also want to listen and support them)
This doesn’t have to be everyone’s girl aesthetic obviously, but I urge you to look back at what you truly loved and valued as a kid and dig into it. Paint your nails, read your favorite book from childhood, and listen to your old favorite music. It might help you through the change going on in your life. Serve as a reminder of who you are at your core. Because even though I’m 22, I still feel like the 8-year-old girl in her purple bedroom playing with her toys.
Lots of love,
Lizzy
p.s. if you also hear Amanda Bynes's voice every time you read “the girl’s room”, then we are the same.