Hot Girls Cry On Their Birthdays
Birthdays Are A Day Of Reflection As Well As Celebration
By: Lauren Jordanich
I consider myself to be a fairly sensitive person. Whether I’m watching a sad movie, seeing an especially heartwarming video on TikTok, or hearing a really romantic song, I may shed a tear or two. But when it comes to a more rare, full-fledged sob – I’m talking a red face, sniffly nose, whole body cry – there’s only one day a year I can always count on it to fall upon: my birthday.
For most of my teen years, I thought crying on my birthday was unique to me. There I am on the one day a year where I receive kind messages and presents, eat my favorite foods, and feel tons of love from my family and friends, and I’m sad. What is wrong with me?
Last year, I saw a TikTok video of a girl crying with the caption, “Hot Girls Cry On Their Birthdays.” I clicked on the hashtag and saw a ton of other videos of the exact same kind – one of the videos had over 600,000 likes. I scrolled through the comments and was amazed to find how many people could relate to feeling shitty on their birthdays.
After discovering that crying on your birthday happens to people other than just me, I started to think about the reasons why we do it. Why does a day that’s supposed to be a celebration make us so sad?
I guess I’ve hit a stage in my life where getting older isn’t merely fun and exciting; it’s also kind of depressing. I look back at years prior when life seemed better, simpler, and way less scary. Getting older in your late teens and early twenties means getting closer and closer to having to be a full-on adult. The pressure of where my life is going is overwhelming.
On top of this, I also ponder my regrets. I think about that boy I dated in high school and how I never told him how I really felt. I think about how I didn’t appreciate all my parents did for me as a kid and how nice it was to be fully taken care of all the time. I think about the people who were so important to me at one time but are no longer active parts of my life.
I know we’re supposed to “live life with no regrets,” but I think most people can’t help but have some. I am an extremely fortunate person, but I can’t help but be upset about all the times I’ve made mistakes and missed opportunities.
Birthdays are a day of celebration, but they are also a day of reflection. They are time stamps that remind us that our time here is limited. I don’t think the tears we cry on our birthday are anything to be ashamed of. I actually think it’s quite beautiful that we get the opportunity to look back, be reminded of our pasts, and consider what actions we want to take to make for a better future.