Farewell to the worst of 2014

Saying goodbye to a great year may be hard, but there are a few things that shouldn’t continue on to 2015. As the new year continues, we should bid farewell to body shaming, “basic” vocabulary and twerking, among other things.

Starting from the beginning of 2014, many people were unsurprisingly ready to let go of “Let it Go” from the highly successful disney movie, Frozen. The film was a blockbuster hit and the empowering hit tune was sung by people of all ages to the point where it was just completely overdone. Like other songs, “Let It Go” is the epitome of a great song that was torn apart by being played constantly. Even in the halls of Buffalo Grove, students would spend five minutes during every passing period listening to Idina Menzel’s overemphasized voice. As Disney moves forward in 2015, people are hoping that the amount of times they listen to “Let it Go” per day will go down.

Although throughout history there have been many powerful and popular dance moves that are still seen at dances and parties, twerking will hopefully not be one of them. The moonwalk, the Charleston, the robot and many others were very popular in their days and to this day as well. When Miley Cyrus twerked at the 2013 VMAs, she probably increased the number of people who twerked on the dance floors in 2014. In most high school settings, twerking isn’t exactly smiled upon. Twerking should become a thing of the past in order to make way for a new, high school friendly dance in 2015.

The English language is one that millions of people aspire to learn, it’s what makes it possible to move forward in America. Recently, there have been many new keywords and phrases arising that are vital to understanding teenage culture. “Basic,” “Bae,” “I can’t even,” “sorry not sorry,” are just a few examples of words that were very popular in 2014. Many people use them ironically, but nonetheless, these words that consumed our vocabulary should be used less frequently. Phrases such as “I can’t even,” limit our vocabulary immensely. Instead of words like “Turnt” we need phrases that reflect our knowledge and don’t discriminate teenage girls for liking similar things.

On a more serious note, 2014 was a year that many people realized what it meant to be ourselves. Humans are naturally imperfect, but that’s what makes us who we are. People, especially teenagers, love to be attractive and it’s important to us. Some people go too far, but it’s not their fault. Many companies’ perceptions of perfection is what ends up putting bodies to shame. Nearing the end of 2014, many celebrities have begun to make an effort to stand up against body shaming. That’s what should continue into the new year, not the people that hurt others by their own definition of perfect.

Every new year, people aspire to change and change is what helps individuals grow. Whether that be regarding our vocabulary or our destructive perceptions of beauty, it’s time to bid farewell and let go of “Let it Go.” And It’s time to find a new classic dance move to pass the test of time. Goodbye 2014 and hello 2015.