The 10 Best Gifts For Teen Girls
Special Honors
Cooluli Mini Beauty Refrigerator Does your teenager have lots of facial serums, creams, and potions that have to be kept at a low temperature to maintain their effectiveness? This little fridge will keep everything cool and organized so you won't have to push her eye mask out of the way just to get a glass of milk. urbanoutfitters.com
Judith Leiber Popsicle Pillbox It's incredibly expensive given its size, but only the best for your little girl, right? This is a totally bedazzled ice cream-shaped clutch that is certain to be a conversation starter wherever she goes — even if it can only accommodate a few tiny necessities. neimanmarcus.com
Editor's Notes
November 20, 2019:
If you have a teenager in the house, you know that their taste in gifts can change wildly from year to year. Don't make the mistake of getting your teenage daughter something she was interested in the previous year — because if you do you'd better hold on to the receipt. Find out what she's into at the moment. For instance, girls who enjoy activities more than, say, fashion-related gifts, would probably be happy to unwrap the Teens Cook cookbook or Game of Phones. There's no doubt a music lover would appreciate the Qshell Bluetooth Beanie, JBL Charge 4, or Fender Squier Mini Stratocaster. The gifts we've picked out are hip and have all been endorsed by both parents and kids, so you can feel confident that whatever you choose won't simply be tossed to the side.
The Jr. White Mermaid Tail Blanket and Hanzá Bath Bombs Gift Set are two new additions, chosen for their quality and affordability. The 3Doodler Create was removed due to a number of function complaints, and the Killer Concepts Piggy Phone Stand was removed due to its being not quite substantial enough to serve as a gift on its own. The JBL Charge 3 was replaced with the newer JBL Charge 4, and the Amazon Gift Card was replaced with an option that comes with a cute cupcake-shaped tin gift box.
A Great Gift For A Teen Girl: No Easy Feat
For the slightly more artistically inclined young lady, consider getting her an actual camera.
The teenage girl seems at times almost like a species unto herself. Parents (and teachers and siblings and friends) often lament their lack of ability to understand the ever shifting moods, interests, and social politics of the female teen. But an appreciation for the immense pressures under which teen girls so often find themselves can help to elucidate the ostensibly inscrutable emotions and behavior of teenagers.
Young women in their teen years are experiencing a momentous amount of change. This comes both from within -- due to the plethora of hormones present in their rapidly growing bodies and brain soaking up new information as it continues to develop -- and from without, as everything from peer pressure to ever more complex social relationships to her interest in understanding the the larger world builds.
As a teenage girl's interests and focus do often tend to shift quickly, gift giving can be a particular challenge at this age. Unless you know the young lady for whom you are shopping well enough to be assured you buy a gift she will cherish, it's not a bad idea to instead search for gifts with reliably universal appeal amongst teens. (Discretion is, after all, the better part of valor.)
It's no great revelation to say that teen girls care about music. The teenage years are the time in which most of us develop our appreciation for various songs, bands, and whole genres of music, whether that means discovering classic rock from the 1960s, the grunge of the 1990s, or in staying in tune with the latest Billboard 100 music being pumped out of today's production studios. A gift that lets a girl enjoy whatever type of music she likes is always a good idea, so consider an iPod Touch, a smartphone (with approval from her parents if you are not they), or another such device. For the girl with an "old soul," note that vinyl records and record players are making a steady comeback. Also don't hesitate to treat the budding musician to an instrument of her own, such as a keyboard or guitar.
Fashion and beauty themed gifts, too, are a safe bet for many young ladies. A makeup kit or some jewelry can always be a hit with a teen girl, and more often than not you can add to a line of cosmetic products or designer jewelry she already likes and wears. And indeed this approach -- adding to a collection of products she already appreciates -- is a safe approach.
Few and far between are the teen girls who don't like snapping pictures, and usually with themselves and their friends at the center of the frame. A selfie stick or a compact tripod can help the teen girl get the best shots of her and her friends flashing "peace signs" or with lolling tongues, and both will make a fine gift. For the slightly more artistically inclined young lady, consider getting her an actual camera. Instant Polaroid-style cameras are especially popular with kids and teens.
And finally, if you have a young reader on your hands, by all means put a book in her hands. There is no greater gift than great literature, just so long as the recipient can appreciate it.
Bad Gift Ideas For Teen Girls
Even as you consider how to get a great gift for a teen girl, it's not a bad idea to consider what constitutes a bad gift idea for a teenager, so you can be sure to avoid buying them.
There is little a teenager loathes more than being treated like a kid.
Broadly speaking, there are two types of gift to avoid outright: those that are "too young" for a teen, and those that are "too old." In the first category, we have things like games, dolls, or childlike art kits, toys, and so forth. There is little a teenager loathes more than being treated like a kid.
On the other hand, anything that is above the maturity level of a teen is also a poor choice. That come in the form of a book, movie, or other media dealing with concepts too adult for the young, sensitive mind or it can mean clothing or other fashion accessories that improperly sexualize the young lady. There is a lifetime in which a person can deal with adult topics, and there's no reason for premature exposure.
Also often a poor choice are the type of gifts a young lady would rather have picked out herself. Quite often it's a better idea to give a gift card than it is to give clothing, for example, as an article of clothing a young lady doesn't care for puts her in the awkward position of false gratitude followed by the need for a return or exchange. A gift card lets her get whatever she wants. This can also be true when it comes to music, movies, and more.
Why Teen Girls Are The Way They Are
The mood swings of the teenage girl are not random, they are not to be taken personally and, more often than not, they are not a problem. Teens (of both genders) tend to be at times short tempered, intensely private, and will display emotions ranging from near despondency to near mania. These dramatic shifts of mood are caused largely by the elevated hormones that are produced by a young lady's body.
So that outburst of anger is actually not about you, the parent, but about her, the girl, for she is becoming the woman.
Keep in mind that, during puberty, a girl physically transforms from the body of a girl to the body of a woman. The same naturally produced chemicals that help induce breast development, the start of the menstrual cycle, and growth in stature also have a marked impact on the brain. In short, with a plethora of hormones comes a period of emotional ups and downs.
But just as a girl physically develops during her teen years, so too does her sense of self grow ever more established and affirmed. As much as parents might hate to accept it, the fact is that the teen years are the age of separation. A child must grow into an adult and become "self actualized," and it is during the tumultuous teen years that they learn to separate from the family in order to do this. So that outburst of anger is actually not about you, the parent, but about her, the girl, for she is becoming the woman.