Editors' Letter
Visual by Vivian Chambers
Dear UA Readers,
The decade is coming to an end.
For us of the Gen Z, the 2010s have been a growing period. We were toddlers in the 2000s, learning to walk, to dance, to sing. We were a shadow of our parents, soaking up every bit of information we could, and learning to survive in this world. In the 2010s, we learned more—to love, to hurt, to grow, to live vigorously. We grew our legs, and the webbing on our fingers dissolved away. Our hearts broke for the first time, and we climbed our way through the tangled emotions of adolescence. The 2010s were our youth.
There’s a lot of mourning to be done. We’ll reminisce on the songs that meant so much to us, we’ll watch the movies that changed the way we looked at things. I don’t think I can describe this mourning period better than Carpenters’ song “Yesterday Once More”. The ache we feel for the songs that made us cry when we were fifteen—the ones that made us feel understood when we didn’t even understand ourselves. We will grieve the 2010s. It’s only healthy. But there’s also much to look forward to, and the Roaring 20s hold the hope we all need to believe in.
With the end of the decade comes the end of my high school experience. With the beginning of the 20s comes the beginning of the next stage of my life. And everything is going to change. I’m trying to remember that the next stage of my life will be good. It will be just as purposeful as the last. The “Pure Heroine” season of my life was wonderful. It hurt at times, it felt radiant at times. At times I felt infinite. But “Melodrama” begins now. It will be different, but it will be good.
This month we’re reliving the 2010s. We’re writing about the books that changed our adolescence. Photographing the people that the 2010s brought to us. Illustrating the moments that made it all worth it. UA is celebrating this ending, so that the beginning to come might feel a little more right. Closure. I guess that’s what we’re looking for. Saying goodbye sucks.
But we’ll see what happens.
We want you to share your decade with us. We want you to end it with a proper parting. There was so much good that came from the 2010s. But the 20s will roar. And we with it.
Listen to:
“Yesterday Once More” by Carpenters—to reminisce
“Yes I’m Changing” by Tame Impala—to accept
“This Eve of Parting” by John Hartford—to say goodbye
“Something Good Can Work” by Two Door Cinema Club—to move on
-Vivian Chambers, Editor-In-Chief
Hey, UA readers!
Okay, so the 2010s are ending.
What makes the end of the 2010s so painful is that it is not just the end of the decade. In many ways, it feels like the end of growing up. The end of sitting in the backseat of Mom’s car. The end of living in the same house as your parents. The end of the movies and music and TV shows we watched as kids. The end of 2019 feels as if it is the finale of our youth.
At the beginning of the decade, I was seven years old. You could have probably found me watching Hannah Montana and listening to the Jonas Brothers on CD (yes, CD) on long drives.
In between, my ages were marked by culture as well. Toy Story 3 was released in 2010. On came Hugo, Moonrise Kingdom, Frozen, Boyhood, Star Wars, Moonlight, La La Land, Lady Bird, Get Out, Call Me By Your Name, Eighth Grade, and Avengers: Endgame. As far as music, there was Bon Iver’s self-titled album in 2011. Lana Del Rey released Born to Die the following year, Lorde changed the music landscape with Pure Heroine. There was Taylor Swift’s 1989, Tame Impala’s Currents, Beyoncé’s Lemonade. Lorde returned with Melodrama, Kacey Musgraves’ Golden Hour, The 1975’s A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships, Tyler the Creator’s Igor, and Billie Eilish ascended and voiced our generation with When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? The thing is, I grew up with these movies, these lyrics and these people. I connected with the artists, expressed myself through them, and in return, felt heard.
What will the 2020s entail- more artificial intelligence or floating cars? Or maybe we will continue to reap the effects of climate change? Ten years from today I will be twenty-seven. Who knows what will happen in the next decade. I’ll go to college, grow up, get a job, grow up a little more, begin a family of my own, and grow up all over again.
I once said to a friend that I wish I could be a teenager without the homework and pressure and expectations that come with it. I know there is a tacit surmise that every teenager is supposed to hate this phase- this in-betweenness- but truly, honestly, I have loved growing up. Okay, now you know I have a heart and a rather sentimental one at that.
This issue means a lot to me. This decade has meant a lot to me. Maybe it does to you as well.
Email all of your 2010s creations to uniquelyaligned@gmail.com. I am so excited to see what you come up with.
Love, as always,
-savanna Chada, managing editor
Wow, I can not believe that it is already December. I’m feeling pretty melodramatic about the decade coming to a close. Maybe it’s the fact that I turn eighteen a few days after the turn into a new year, and the responsibility of being an adult is looming over my head. Maybe I’m not quite ready to say goodbye, or maybe I’m just anxiously awaiting Harry Styles’ sophomore album.
Whatever the reason, December feels like the perfect time to reflect upon the decade that is coming to a close, and that is why we chose the 2010s as this month’s theme. Although I was born in the early 2000s, the 2010s is the decade that will truly define my generation. Here are just a few things I wanted to remind you of:
Fidget Spinners
Pokemon Go
Baby Yoda (although a recent development, I just love him so <3)
Disney remakes
One Direction
Netflix
La La Land
Bethany Mota
A new age of activism (looking at you Greta)
Twilight
These are just a few of many, but these are the things that will remain as the defining features of this decade. Although it can be tough to say goodbye, we still have twenty eight whole more days to celebrate these years that have shaped us! So, rewatch some Hannah Montana, blast some Ke$ha with your friends, and enjoy these final days. After all, the last chapter of any story is most often the best…….
-Katherine Deberry, Editor
Tell us what this decade means to you. And how you’re looking at the one to come. See the submit page for more details. We can't wait to see what you send in! Love you as always. Xo.