Today's post was written by our summer intern in Student Ministry Publishing, Alex Rhoades. Alex is about to begin her senior year at Union University, loves Jane Austen (we love that about her!), and splits her time interning with us and lifeguarding. And no, that's not her picture below.
Spend time with teenage girls, and you are likely to hear the following terms: horcruxes, planking, “Expelliarmus,” and owling. Don’t be alarmed if you hear these words—these are not names of drugs or any other illegal substance. Rather, they refer to popular, generally harmless entertainment. Impress your girls with your knowledge of these subjects, and you’ll likely find that they be will more willing to talk and open up about what is going on in their lives.
Horcruxes and “Expelliarmus”
If these words seem foreign, it’s because they are. These terms are from the world of Harry Potter, and with the last movie in the series opening earlier in July, it seems that many people cannot get enough of the boy wizard. While the series is highly popular with young adults who grew up reading the books as J.K. Rowling wrote and published them (including myself), many younger teens have latched onto the franchise. At the recent midnight movie premiere I attended, I noticed a large amount of young people who appeared to be in middle school—students who might not have even been alive when the first book came out in 1997! It’s safe to assume that probably a majority of your girls have watched or are planning to watch the last movie in this phenomenon, so here are some questions you could ask girls to facilitate discussion about the film:
• What themes do you notice in the movie?
• How does this movie present the idea of friendship? Loyalty? Standing up for what you believe in?
• Is there anything in this movie you might object to? How should we, as Christians, react to that content?
If you haven’t seen the movie, check out this review to get an overview of both the positive and negative elements of the film.
Planking and Owling
As a 21-year-old, I am just slightly removed from my teenage years, but even I was surprised by this recent fad. To “plank,” one lays face down, completely straight as a plank, with the arms pressed flat against the body. Once the planker is in position, another person takes a photo of the planking and uploads it to a social media website.
While the activity is theoretically not dangerous, plankers often try to take photos in public places that may be hazardous. Plankers frequently place their head on some object and their feet on a different object, completely suspending their body in the air. This practice has led to many injuries and even a death. If you know your girls are participating in this generally harmless activity, encourage them to use caution when planking.
Just as fast as the planking craze came along, it has already begun to fade. The new photo trend taking over is owling. The trend is what it sounds like – people take photos of themselves perched like owls on top of random, public places. For a more detailed explanation, check out this article. If your girls haven’t switched to owling yet, they probably will soon, so encourage them to owl safely and respect others’ land and property.
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