Comments on: Teenage: My AOL Youth

By: Kristi

Kristi — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 00:12:48 +0000

I’m not sure how it’s possible, but this article you wrote chronicles my life in high school – in precise and perfect detail. And YET, I was 14yrs old five years before you, in 1991 (which truly was the dawn of chat rooms). The styles you went through, the attitudes you tried on – I tried all of the same as well. And I had foster home girlfriends too. Girls with stories that were so graphic and horrifying that my eyes would well up with tears at their recounting. I remember feeling embarrassed that I didn’t have the horror-abuse stories that they did. I felt like such a fuddy duddy. I even made up an abuse story once or twice. Ridiculous. AND, I’m super tall (6ft) and fluctuated between 160-190lbs for most of those years too. How did we have the SAME life?! AARGH! The only thing different about my story, is that I also wrestled with my religious identity as well, through this time. At 13 I was praying in tongues and rocking out with Jesus in Youth Group, so when I started listening to New Order and The Cure instead of Amy Grant and Carmen, I thought I was still a good Christian until my peers and my elders started telling me differently. This created a whole new layer to my identity crisis….but thankfully I figured things out. It was actually in Brooklyn that I figured myself out. I lived there for my twenties, and I just tried everything until I figured out what I like and what I don’t like. Who I am and who I’m not. NYC is a great place to explore oneself…as I’m sure you know! Cheers to you, and please know that I’ve enjoyed your blog for about a year now. Keep it up! Your aesthetic is fantastic!!

By: rebecca

rebecca — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 17:04:44 +0000

ahhh yes welcome to the dollhouse! thanks for the little flashback, i totally feel you on this! …long live the interweb!

By: makayla

makayla — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 16:15:56 +0000

i loved this, alison!

By: kristine asta

kristine asta — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 07:36:40 +0000

awesome piece! i can really relate to this. my first email address was with aol but i remember pre-aol, my sister clacking away in prodigy chat rooms until the wee hours of the night while i tried to sleep/ spy on her from the top bunk.

i love the way you write, too. it makes me want to write!

By: kate

kate — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 23:09:59 +0000

I love this SO MUCH Alison! And I couldn’t agree with/feel you on this more.

By: Hazel

Hazel — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 19:17:15 +0000

THIS!
God I loved it so much thank you for writing it.

By: Alison

Alison — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 18:41:33 +0000

It totally saved me! I don’t know who I’d be today if not for the Internet.

By: Nix

Nix — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 18:05:51 +0000

What a great article. It is interesting to think back on your “first time” on the internet super highway.

There sure were a lot of weirdos on it back then– now there are still plenty of weirdos, I just don’t visit obscure forums like I use to.
I will say I miss the days were some people didn’t have an email address or you could get a letter (handwritten) in the mail from a kid who lived 15 minutes away. I grew up in a rural area, so maybe we were just behind in the times…

Again, really fun read, Alison

By: anja louise

anja louise — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 16:50:05 +0000

I feel you on this one! The internet saved me, haha. Nothing like grade 8 chat room memories, staying up all night using the keyboard as quietly as possible, going over our internet minutes limit and getting in trouble!

By: esb

esb — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 16:45:45 +0000

By: Suzie

Suzie — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 13:20:15 +0000

Love this! I remember those days well growing up in rural Minnesota…

By: Katie A.

Katie A. — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 12:53:21 +0000

Ah, so good. We are a part of the same tribe, my friend!

By: robyn

robyn — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 12:42:29 +0000

haha, loved it! I was totally there with you, chat rooms and all.
Little known fact – I am the last person that still has an aol email address. And I’ve probably had it since 97, when my dad finally allowed my brother and I to have our very own separate addresses on his account.
Now, when I go to real stores and they add me to their email list, I get mocked. But I take pride that I’ve had this address for ages, as opposed to the friends who change their online identity every six months, sending out mass emails asking me to once again update my address book.