A Child Culture Guide for Disconnected Adults: Who Is Wednesday Addams?
Taking a look this week into the secret world of kids and teens, we’re exploring TikTok’s dubious orthodontic trend, singing poop songs, and enjoying Wednesday’s absolutely delicious teen show. Buckle up.
Everyone is watching Wednesday
You’re probably asking yourself, “Steve, what are the kids watching on TV?” Answer: Wednesday . (Anyway, tough guys.) The series has only been available to stream for a couple of weeks, but it’s already one of the top five most successful Netflix series.
Wednesday gives its comically dark protagonist a fresh series full of weird monsters, mysteries, jokes that are actually funny, and everything goth you can handle. It’s a great show in its own right, but it’s also interesting in that many generations have discovered and loved the character of Wednesday Addams. She first appeared in 1938 in cartoons drawn by Charles Adams for The New Yorker, although she did not have a name at the time. Fast forward to 1964, when Wednesday Addams appears on the short-lived but influential sitcom The Addams Family. Then, in 1991, Christina Ricci’s portrayal of Wednesday steals the show in The Addams Family and its 1993 sequel , The Addams Family Values .
It’s just cool how Wednesday Addams appears in popular culture every 27 years or so as a leisurely werewolf to captivate a new generation of young people who prefer darkness to light. Also, any show that makes The Cramps ” Goo Goo Muck ” a trend on TikTok is definitely awesome.
What is “meow” and why has it taken over TikTok?
Have you heard of “meow”? It’s trendy on TikTok these days. Here’s how it works: If you want straighter teeth and/or a more defined jawline, you put your tongue on the palate with your teeth closed and stay in that position for as long as possible. It’s all. I can’t believe my parents spent so much money on braces.
The method was invented by the controversial British orthodontist John Mew in the 1970s, but started gaining popularity among insecure incels a few years ago and has since gone viral on the internet, gaining popularity among young women. The hashtag #mewing on TikTok has almost two billion views on TikTok. It’s full of “before and after” videos documenting successful mewings (which look like someone stuck their chin out to look at an “after” photo), ” scientific ” explanations of how it works, tutorial videos , and more.
The big question is: does meowing really work? Answer: Hell, of course not . Legitimate orthodontists and common sense agree that you cannot change your bone structure with your tongue. The bigger problem is that so many kids are so unhappy with their appearance that they fall for this crap.
But hey, at least it’s free and it doesn’t feel dangerous (unless you’re using it to replace legitimate dental work). However, if these kids knew how much worse they would look in the future, they would spend all day looking lovingly in mirrors instead of doing tongue tricks.
Matt Farley: Elvis of Poop Songs
My niece recently introduced me to the musical style of Matt Farley , the undisputed king of poop songs. A few years ago, Farley came up with a brilliant idea: record tens of thousands of original, impromptu songs that combine the words “poop,” “fart,” and “piss” with someone’s name and upload them to Spotify, Apple Music, TikTok. , and in any other place where they will be placed, and then wait for the children to find them and play them again and again.
Farley’s scatological tracks, called The Odd Man Who Sings About Poop, Puke, and Pee, are as mediocre as you’d expect, but when you hear a track with your name on it, you’re like, “OK. I understand. (Go ahead and go to Spotify or Apple Music and type “[YOUR NAME] + Poop” in the search bar to see what I mean.)
I can’t find any information on how much Farley actually makes from his unique job, but even the pennies that platforms like Apple have to pay per stream should add up eventually. (Yes, I’m bitter because I didn’t have the idea at first.)
Spotify turned the meme into something interesting
It’s the end of the year, which means Spotify is releasing its personalized reviews of the music you’ve been listening to in 2022. These social media ads are really popular with people who assume that other people don’t give a shit and what kids and teens mean. I wouldn’t be talking about the streaming service’s marketing gimmick if it wasn’t for the much more interesting meme response: “The date is over.”
The ” dating is over ” tag consists mostly of women summing up their dating year with hilarious and captivating results. The trend started with TikToker AmberwavesofBrain , who loves chatting and Power Point and went on 18 first dates in 2022 where she said she didn’t learn anything. Adri_Mitchell says she’s been on 40 first dates and found no difference in dating success between Tinder, Bumble, and dating men in clubs. In 2022, I only went on one first date, but it turned out that it was actually a doctor’s appointment.
Viral Video of the Week: I Went to the MOST EXPENSIVE AIRBNB IN THE WORLD!!
Over two million young people on YouTube have watched or shared a video titled ” I visited the MOST EXPENSIVE AIRBNB IN THE WORLD!!” YouTuber FaZe Rug this week. I get it – it’s a concise and intriguing premise that practically begs you to click on it. But I hate this video.
I don’t envy this guy and his friends that they can afford to rent this house – good for them – but they’re just not interesting . Like “Most Expensive Airbnb,” it’s just a shell with beige walls and wooden floors, designed for pool tables and hot tubs. It looks like a place the company rents so its salespeople can spend the weekend with the people they work with.
It’s all so empty , from the wide-eyed, YouTube clichés, to the fake competitions he and his friends put on to fill a video long enough to monetize, to the obvious product placement and synergy in between. Youtuber and Airbnb. Despite the cast’s forced enthusiasm for playing wiffleball and horseshoes, there’s nothing fun about it. Now I’m going to drink more on Wednesday .