Wired, Arianna Hatzis Would’ve Could’ve Should’ve, Ayah Eweis…………………………………………….……311 Zesty, Abigail Mceyeson………………………………………………………………….……314

Wired

Arianna Hatzis

‘Wired’ is a word with various meanings and definitions, the word's meaning has been taken by teens and given a transformation but using its initial meaning. When adolescents now reference ‘wired’ they are at times referencing how one might be overstimulated or hyperactive. ‘Wired’ helps the understanding of adolescent experiences in many ways. The official definition of ‘wired’ is to receive something via the internet, it is a swift and quick way to receive something. The fact it happens quickly could correlate to how adolescents connected the two words' definitions. By referencing someone who is ‘wired’ they could be referencing the hyperactiveness in the quickness that wiring allows. Adolescents referencing ‘wired’ in their conversations at times can be used for them to understand others' actions. A person with Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder oftentimes will be referenced as ‘wired’. They are unable to sit still, always moving and constantly jittering around making adolescents call them ‘wired.’ Those who do use this term might at times imply it with a negative connotation. When talking to someone who might be experiencing extreme amounts of overstimulation and hyperactivity adolescents may refer to their behavior negatively and tell them to relax. Adolescents using ‘wired’ in a negative connotation now can have a negative and shameful reaction for those to whom the word is being directed. ‘Wired’ references behavior that they are unable to control such as aggressive shaking of limbs, tapping, or other energy-expressive ways. It may be understood that it could cause stress to someone who is called wired as they are trying to hide their over-stimulation or hyperactivity then leading to anxiety and other mental barriers.

‘Wired’ is extremely important in understanding the study of adolescent health; it allows researchers to see the connection in how children are manipulating definitions. ‘Wired’s’ definition of manipulation, while initially most likely meant to describe someone who is overanxious, overstimulated, and hyperactive has taken a direction change. Many times its reference is meant to send someone a message in a negative way. Adolescents use this term to ensure that those who are different know they are different. Adolescents that suffer from attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder are often told they have brains that are wired differently. Understanding that they are different, the phrase is taken and thrown in their faces to reinforce they are considered clinically different. Overall, understanding that when someone is ‘wired’ they are most likely overthinking and experiencing some form of stress, anxiety and hyperactivity causing them to do swift actions to express their emotions. ‘Wired’ helps the understanding of adolescent development as the definition pushes young people to define people in specific lights and give their actions definitions. Informal:

Sources for more information:

“Wired | meaning of Wired” by Definition of the Words https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLou2YHs0l8

Formal: Konrad, Kerstin, and Simon B. Eickhoff. “Is the ADHD Brain Wired Differently? A Review on Structural and Functional Connectivity in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.” Human brain mapping 31.6 (2010): 904–916. Web. https://doi.org/10.1002/hbm.21058

Would’ve Could’ve Should’ve

Ayah Eweis

The keyword I chose that represents the study of adolescence and health is “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve”. This “sentence” is Taylor Swift’s new song that was released on October 21st, 2022. I chose this title as my keyword because it has a main theme that I feel perfectly represents a big part of adolescents’ years, heartbreak. Taylor Swift focused on her heartbreak she experienced 13 years ago that changed her. When she was nineteen, she dated a singer/songwriter, John Mayer, who was 13 years older than her. She takes us through her heartbreak and mentions how if she knew it would turn out the way it did, she would have never engaged with him. She mentions feelings of an overwhelming sadness, grief, and shock that stays with a person for life. The word “heartbreak” was discovered in the late 1500s (Harper, 2015). If we look at the history behind the world heartbreak, the word Heart can represent the soul, will, desire, courage, mind and/or spirit (Harper, 2015). Heartbreak can change you; sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. In Swift’s case, it was for the better. However, she’s still not over the traumatic heartbreak; she just learned to live with it – which is usually the case for most people. Hormonally, heartbreak leads to a dramatic decrease in dopamine levels which causes depression and withdrawal from life. As a young person tries to navigate their life and create their identity, social relationships are crucial and central to identity development (Kansky, 2019). Failed relationships that lead to heartbreak, most times, have a negative effect on teenagers that can later bleed into their young adulthood’s relationship building – which is shown in Taylor’s adult years as she tries to navigate romantic relationships but fails because of her past trauma (Kansky, 2019). The trauma, confusion, and broken self esteem that follows a heartbreak can

help us as educators understand the lack of drive, ambition, and confidence that can be presented within young adolescence’s behaviour towards school, responsibilities, and participating in life. Heartbreak is related to a young person’s health and well-being because when you’re at the stage of development, you are fragile and ill equipped to handle an overwhelming sense of rejection, sadness, and grief. And in this fragile state, heartbreaks can taint you, change you permanently and change your development. Some adolescence handle heartbreak better than others, but other young people carry that pain with them for years and into other relationships that end up failing because of the teenage baggage they brought into their young adult life (again, shown in Taylor Swift’s love life). Most adults don’t take a young person’s feelings seriously when it comes to love, betrayal, and sadness because in the adult’s mind, “they haven’t experienced life yet”. But that is simply not true. Adolescence feelings are just as valid as adult’s feeling, if not more because those experiences they face ends up shaping them and their point of view on life later on. Without the proper care, adolescence can go through their 20s and maybe even 30s still dealing with the unresolved heartbreak, betrayal, and sadness they experienced when they were in their teen years. This unresolved trauma and grooming that Swift experienced is still talked about despite her being 32. This is shown when she mentions how she regrets her ex and she “fights with him in her sleep” (Swift, 2:27), proving she is still affected by this 13 years later. As educators, we must validate those feelings and help young people get the help they need to heal from their wounded hearts and traumatic situations. By validating their feelings, we are helping them gain clarity on their current situation and helping them slowly gain back the confidence to keep pushing. I am not sure if Taylor had a supporting adult to help her navigate

her heartbreak at 19, but maybe if she did, she wouldn’t still be heartbroken by the disrespect she experienced so young. Helping adolescence through a breakup can save their lives, their grades, their future, their wellbeing, and their sanity. Heartbreak is inevitable in life, but for the most part, it builds character. But it’s the people around you that make it bearable to live through. Below I linked an academic article by Allen Kansky. His article speaks about heartbreak and how it can positively and/ or negatively impact adolescence lives in the future. My nonacademic source is the song “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve” by Taylor Swift.

References:

Harper, D. (2015, May 15). Heartbreak (n.). Etymology. Retrieved October 27, 2022, from https://www.etymonline.com/word/heartbreak Kansky, Allen, J. P., & Diener, E. (2019). The young adult love lives of happy teenagers: The role of adolescent affect in adult romantic relationship functioning. Journal of Research in Personality, 80, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2019.03.006 Swift, Taylor. (October 21st, 2022). Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve [Taylor Swift]. Midnights

Zesty

Abigail Mceyeson

No, it does not have much to do with lemon zest unless you imagine the peel being sassy as it sprays its mist on your dish of choice. The meaning of the word Zesty can be defined as the calling out or labelling of a person or action as too feminine or “gay” when it is performed by heterosexual, male-presenting individuals. The actions or performances are typically enacted by straight, tough or manly-looking individuals who imitate stereotypical mannerisms of women or gay men in a comical manner. The performer usually dresses or presents themselves within the stereotypical frameworks of masculinity to contrast their impersonation and ensure the audience understands that the actions are a charade or gimmick. If the individual’s performance too accurately portrays the mannerisms of women or homosexual men, the audience may shift from seeing the enactment as humorous or entertaining to unpleasant or too “gay” to engage with. The word Zesty can be used as an adjective to describe a person or as a verb to describe an action. In some cases, the enactment of being Zesty is intentional and entertaining. In other cases like the example below, the audience, listeners, fans, or the internet label a person or their actions as Zesty, contrary to the original intentions of the performer. My first encounter with the word Zesty was on November 8th when I redownloaded Tiktok after not having it for two months. I originally went back on it to find a funny video I wanted to show my friends. When I realized how challenging it was to find old trends or trending videos, I gave up and ended up scrolling through the app for the next 3 hours or so. On November 4th, four days before I got back on Tiktok, Drake dropped a new album with 21 Savage whose songs were just landing on the platform. On the very first track of the album, “Rich Flex” Drake raps the lyrics “21, do your thing, 21, do your thing (21)” in a manner similar to how female rappers perform their lyrics when they encourage their partners to begin or continue rapping. The videos following the song’s release included various parodies imagining what Drake looked like when rapping these lyrics. I landed on a couple of these funny videos, mainly of guys performing a skit, playing Drake rapping these rhymes. The song presently has 64 million plays on Spotify with the Tiktok video that pokes fun at Drake’s lyrics currently having 24.9 million views. My observations of the historical form of Zesty derives from words like “fruity” which describes someone belonging to the 2SLGBTQ+ community or “sus,” short for ‘suspicious’ which describes someone who unintentionally says or does something sexual or in a homosexual manner. Both terms are usually regarded as offensive because they discreetly normalize homophobic language. The use of the word Zesty on TikTok can be traced back to 2020 but has recently resurfaced and become a trending word. Although offensive in some contexts, the term is primarily permitted among groups of straight men who succumb to the effects of toxic masculinity and must recite words like “no homo” or “pause” when something is said or done that refers to the activities 2SLGBTQ+ peoples engage in. When used comically like to question and satirize Drake's lyrics, the term goes unnoticed. When over-used by hypermasculine, heterosexual boys or men to describe everyday actions like giving attitude or wearing tight pants, the term can harm the health and well-being of individuals who identify with the 2SLGBTQ+ community. This word is meaningful in studying adolescence and health because it reveals that although words like Zesty appear innocent and comical, they discreetly perpetuate and normalize homophobic language and toxic masculinity. Using the word as a replacement for slurs toward the 2SLGBTQ+ community should not be okay, but there is still an obscure line between using Zesty humorously or with contempt.

Academic Source: The Urban Dictionary on the word Zesty https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=zesty Non-academic Sources: Rich Flex by Drake & 21 Savage https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4DjHHVHWAE TikTok Original Video: https://www.tiktok.com/@ashleykeno17/video/7162136113656679686?is_from_webapp=1&sen der_device=pc&web_id=7162772313124963846 TikTok Video 2: https://www.tiktok.com/@willadz/video/7162406132990905605?is_from_webapp=1&sender_de vice=pc&web_id=7162772313124963846 TikTok Video 3: https://www.tiktok.com/@nonoycisco/video/7149813892187688193?is_from_webapp=1&sende r_device=pc&web_id=7162772313124963846 Zesty Dance Examples: ➔ https://www.tiktok.com/@sharky/video/7162314514329898246?is_from_webapp=1&sen der_device=pc&web_id=7162772313124963846 ➔ https://www.tiktok.com/@nonoycisco/video/7154343786695396610?is_from_webapp=1 &sender_device=pc&web_id=7162772313124963846