The New Teen Blog Sensations
Over the last few years there has been a growing phenomenon of teen culture infiltrating the web. Influential teen bloggers are the future tastemakers of whatever culture they specialize in, and this information is beyond useful for companies that want to reach out to specific demographics and at the same time tailor their future content along the lines of tastemaker predictions. The best place to do that is straight from the horse’s mouth without focus group filters or presumed aesthetics that might be trite or banal by the time they’re launched. Teen blogs definitely give companies an unfiltered and accurate vantage point from which to gauge future product development.
The Fashion Industry is a great example of a culture that’s welcoming of an informed opinion especially if it helps them better understand their client base and predict future trends. Even though fashion is one of the most popular teen blogging categories, there’s definitely a popular teen blog in almost every cultural avenue. English teen Charlie Lyne’s Ultra Culture Blog chronicles the in-depth culture of English films, and Sam Wolfson, another English Blogger, runs the ReadPlatform website, where he asks other young English bloggers to contribute to the site, which has a decidedly Vice Magazine aesthetic to it.
Here’s a list of some of our favorite teen bloggers at the moment.
1. The Style Rookie
Tavi Gevinson from The Style Rookie blog is one of the earliest and best examples of a cutting edge and successful teen blogger. She covers everything from avant garde fashion designers like Comme des Garcons and Rodarte to simple musings on cultural theory in general. Her recent post on the aesthetic similarities between Twin Peaks and The Virgin Suicides really showcased her astute perspectives on culture far beyond her years.
http://www.thestylerookie.com/
2. Hipster Musings
Hipster Musings is an Ontario based fashion blog run by Isabel and it’s a great juxtaposition of excellent thrift store finds and the culture that inspires her unique approach to style. There might be stills from a Kathleen Hanna documentary on one page and a story about her mom’s favorite ruffled tartan skirt on the next; it’s a really interesting and one of a kind fashion blog.
http://hipstermusings.blogspot.com/
3. Fashion Pirate
Fashion Pirate is the perfect summation of ID magazine or Dazed & Confused through the lens of a teen blogger. 18-year-old Arabelle covers everything from self-designed fashion shoots rocking Yohji Yamamoto cloaks to her favorite visual and performance art picks. It’s definitely one of the most innovative teen fashion blogs out there.
4. Better Never Than Late
Better Never Than Late is an English music / culture blog run by Matt Benson who invites some of England’s best young bloggers to showcase their cultural discoveries. They cover everything from the most underground English micro genres to English street fashion and different inspirational motifs. They’re definitely on the cutting edge of what’s happening right now in young English culture.
http://betterneverthanlate.blogspot.com/
5. The F Bomb
The F Bomb is a teen focused feminist blog from 18-year-old Pepper Pike out of Ohio. It’s one of the best and only examples of a feminist blog that really focuses on teen cultural / social issues within the media, which was definitely a much needed vantage point. She’s even been featured on the feminist blog Jezebel, which is owned by the mega-snarky Gawker Media Group.
6. ReadPlatform
ReadPlatform is another English multi-focus teen blog run by Londoner Sam Wolfson who invites some of the best young English bloggers to contribute content. It has an awesome everything but the kitchen sink mentality to its cultural milieu; odd jpegs are placed right next to underground music and wtf YouTube videos; its definitely the most next level and cutting edge of the teen blogs, with a distinct almost Vice Magazine aesthetic to it.
