Last week I posted a video that I had made through iMovie on my Facebook account. It was an "after movie" of the time I spent during spring break at Ultra Music Festival in Miami (if you have never heard of Ultra, it's one of the largest electronic music festivals in the United States). I got a decent amount of feedback through comments and likes on my video, but not all of it was positive. In fact, there was only one overly critical comment; it came from someone's mother saying something along the lines of "so I guess none of you are worried about getting jobs after this?" I have never met the woman in my entire life, and the only thing I could think of that was wrong with the video was the quality of my filming (it's hard to dance to an amazing set and film at the same time). Well, that, and my outfit, which consisted of a white crop top and american flag booty shorts. I am certainly not a shy person, and although I would not think of wearing an outfit like that in any other circumstances, it was definitely far from the most "risque" outfit there (some girls just stick pasties over their nipples and call it a day). Well, this mother clearly did not understand how music festival attire works these days, or else she would not have posted such a harsh comment on my wall. This is just one example of a topic that is extremely common in today's world and needs to be addressed: close-minded adults in previous generations.

This is by no means of course, a new problem. Historically, every generation has criticized the following one, especially musically: in the 1950s, as teenagers were listening to rock and roll, their parents castigated its suggestive lyrics and the lifestyle it endorsed. As rap gained popularity, the older generation denounced how it seemingly "glorified" violence. EDM (electronic dance music) is the newest form that music has taken and since its creation has been gaining popularity at an astounding rate. As a college student who is really into EDM and loves going to music festivals, it is extremely annoying to seeing the older generation freaking out about the culture (or as they see it, the lack thereof) that surrounds electronic music.

It's getting a little old isn't it? Every generation will always be afraid and reluctant to accept the succeeding generation's music and cultures. But, as history has shown, the newer generations will continue to push the boundaries of what society deems acceptable, and the xenophobic older generations will continue to try and stop the change with their close-minded opinions and outdated views.

It is not the newer generations who need to change their actions, but the older generations who need to change their views. To go off on a slight tangent, how different generations view music and its culture is only a small part of the generational gap of how people see social change in today's society. The newer generations have come a long way regarding tolerance towards individuals who may not be like themselves. It isn't hard to recognize how the newer generations are more accepting of things that would break the social "norm" established by the previous generations. For example, I know many older adults are still trying to wrap their heads around Bruce Jenner's transformation into Caitlin while mostly everyone my age and younger took it in stride. He realized that he wants to identify as a woman? Alright then, what else is new? The world is changing, whether anyone wants it to or not, and our generation's adaptability to these changes in contrast to the older generation's inflexibility is just a repeat of how the older generation perceived their views in contrast to their parents. It is a cycle of breaking past social norms.

So back to my initial point, we are living in an age where music videos containing naked women are now failing to surprise or shock the target audience, and someone's mother is trying to tell me that my outfit and actions at a musical festival were improper? You have got to be kidding me. Lady, I am not afraid of the future of my employment because of what I wore to a music festival. My personal life should not affect my professional life, and I would expect future employers to respect the difference between the two. It is perfectly acceptable these days to wear a bedazzled bra to a rave, #freethenipple has been a trending movement for awhile, and it is possible for one to attend musical festivals while also enjoying a successful career. This is our generation's world now, and you're just living in it. And that's how it is always going to be. And we, as the newer generation, should not be discouraged by the negative criticism we receive. So to that one mom: maybe keep that negativity to yourself or channel it into something productive, try making an Instagram for your dog or something.