[guitar riff from "Rebel Rebel" intensifies]
Yes. But not for the lyrically-assigned reasons.
1: I imagine a 2020s teen listening to that song, and wondering - "what's all the fuss? they're non-binary". But Ace's behavior suggests this is still about rebellion, even if the parents aren't throwing you out of the house or demanding that you wear gender-appropriate clothing, but instead trying very hard to remember to use your preferred pronouns.
High blood pressure and various muscle aches.
Can't rebel when you have permission. Your part now is to forbid, absolutely forbid, wearing that mini-skirt.
I frustrated my children's rebellious instincts a fair amount by being overly relaxed. Interestingly, my one arbitrary rule -- no piercings beyond earlobes and no tattoos before eighteen -- was griped about but abided by (until Sally hit eighteen, at which point the rule expired and she got herself all pierced and multiply tattooed).
I mean, you can rebel against society even when your parents don't care or are supportive.
Isn't it the law that you can't get a tattoo until you're 18?
Ace also got their ear doubly-pierced, with their BFF. It's been a big week for fashionable 4th graders.
I think you can with parental permission or a fake ID.
Given that Jammies and I are full of tattoos and piercings, Hawaii is actually doing a much better job of rebelling than Ace.
8 In high school a male friend of mine wanted to get an ear piercing but his dad insisted he would have to get a nose piercing first. Of course he got neither but you couldn't say that to a kid now and expect it to work.
The idea of being tattooed really does not appeal to me, but so I don't seem judgemental, I tell people I don't want one in case I want to be buried in an Orthodox Jewish cemetery.
I considered getting a (semi)traditional Samoan tattoo while I was there, but figured it would look stupid on my pale and stringy self. I have not regretted the lost opportunity.
Likewise, I am not sad that my parents rolled their eyes at my idea of a butterfly tattoo on the back of my hand and discouraged it. Not sure why a butterfly appealed to me - I wasn't a Lillith/fairy wings type of teen - but I specifically wanted the back of the hand so that it would be un-hide-able. Because I'm not some fake-ass poser.
Facial tattoos are the real non-poser move.
We keep offering to let our 18yo have a drink with us and he says he's never going to drink. He's even looking at a substance free dorm for freshman year next fall.
re: 18
Totally ubiquitous here now. I see people in suits or conservative clothing all the time with visible neck and face tattoos. I don't know what percentage of 20/30 somethings have neck or face tattoos here, but it's really extraordinarily high. Go into any completely normal pub, and there'll be at least a couple of people in the bar with face or neck tattoos.
Personally, I have no tattoos. I like them, or at least I've seen plenty of tattoos I like, but my wife, on the whole, does not. I occasionally think about getting one to commemorate if/when I finally get to looking how I otherwise want to look (weight, etc), but I'm not sure it would pass spousal scrutiny and I'm not sufficiently into the idea that I'd cause a load of marital strife over it.
I did have earrings for years (two in one ear, one in the other) and used to deliberately wear non-gender-confirming earrings through my late teens and early 20s. I've not worn one for 20 years, though.
Facial tattoos are becoming fairly common here too, but that's primarily due to a revival of interest among Alaska Native women for whom they're traditional.
On a flight in New Zealand I saw a guy (I assume Maori, but certainly Polynesian) whose facial hair was shaved (I assume? could be laser removed?) into the shape of a traditional face tattoo. It was incredible.