Sometimes going on a rant just feels good, so I totally understand the viral video rant about teenagers taking selfies in T.J. Maxx by Whoa Susannah. Whoa Susannah is apparently some type of internet celebrity that older women from the middle of America know about on Facebook. She makes jokes about eating too much junk food, being tough on her kid, and most recently tore up a “gaggle” of girls (as she called them) taking selfies in the middle of a T.J. Maxx on a weekday.
But I mean, both she and the girls she’s mocking are at T.J. Maxx. She’s mocking the girls for wanting to take pictures in T.J. Maxx, while at T.J. Maxx making a video about girls who are broadcasting the fact that they’re at (I’m going to say it again) T.J. Maxx. The irony is astounding.
It wasn’t that the teens were being rude, or obnoxious, or disrespected her in any way. It’s more that Whoa Susannah doesn’t understand “the youth of today.” In the video, she’s mainly mocking the entire selfie procedure. Through a series of hand gestures and weird gagging noises, she attempts to describe the grotesque nature of girls taking pictures of themselves for social media posting. I’m not sure if the gagging noise was actually made, since I’ve never heard anyone make “the devil” kind of noise (as Whoa Susannah calls it) while snapping a selfie, but anything is possible.
Is the video funny? Perhaps to a certain grumpy, older crowd that likes to be assholes to younger people. I sort of hate this kind of rant, even if it’s supposed to be funny.
Here’s why.
Stop Exaggerating, Lady
Sure, groups of tweens and teens can be really obnoxious sometimes. They’re loud, they’re insecure, I get it. But the “gaggle” of girls that “should’ve been at school” were actually shopping in the middle of summer at T.J. Maxx. I mean, at least there is AC and cheap jeans. No one wants to be a “maxxinista,” as the store tries to call its audience. Give them a fucking break. Again, all of you are at T.J. Maxx on social media.
She Is Just As Obnoxious, If Not More
She’s blasting the “youth of today” for taking selfies, but she is sitting in a parking lot, in her car, recording a video rant about teenagers taking selfies. She is doing the exact same thing. AT T.J. MAXX.
I Am Standing Up For The Youth Of Today
I know it’s supposed to be “funny” and it’s not worth bitching about, but for some reason this lady really gets under my skin. She’s feigning dumb about selfies and complaining about “possessed” teenagers, who were really fucking polite to her, according to her rant. In fact, if some woman came up and mocked me for taking a selfie, I would probably tell her where she could shove her discount polo shirt. While we’re both unashamed to be at T.J. Maxx.
I feel (a little) bad because Susannah is just a fellow writer and personality trying to make her way on the internet, and I don’t want to seem like an asshole. I am clearly not her target audience. But, I do hate not being funny while making fun of teen girls — it’s the kind of humor that makes people think it’s OK to call young women stupid, self-centered, and superficial. Maybe they are, but probably not since they were so happy to be at T.J. Maxx and somehow knew to not be a jerk to a strange woman. I think it’s mean and useless humor.
There are a lot of things to say about T.J. Maxx and selfie faces that don’t involve being a cranky jerk.
Original by Karen Fratti
