10/20/2017

How Old Do You Have to be to be a Tween?

Ah, the sweet age of the Tween. The age of a Tween kind of varies from person to person, but for me, I think it lies between the ages of 9 to about 12 or 13 (or Tweenager years). The definition of the word “Tween” is a variation of “in-between”. It’s the age where a kid is not a little girl, nor is she quite a teenager yet. It can be a tricky place to be sometimes, since a lot of moms and daughters might disagree on a few things, including fashion choices. Which is why my blog was started. Tween shouldn’t be confused with Pre-Teen. A pre-teen or pre-teenager is a person 12 years old. Generally, the term is restricted to those close to reaching age 13.

When was the word ‘Tween’ first used?

At one end of the teen and pre-adult spectrum, “preteen” first appeared in the 1920s, and the word “tween” first appeared in a 1941 beauty tips article in the form “tween-teens.” (The less common variant “tweenie” also first turned up in 1919.) The term “tween” didn’t come into full-on usage until about the 1950s. Since it’s inception, it has become an extremely popular term to reference the age group of boys and girls who are of pre-adolescence age (or, pre age 13).

What’s a ‘Tweenager’?

Once a girl or boy reaches the 12-14 age range, they can be considered a teenager or what I like to refer to a “Tweenager”. The reason I love this one so much is because it seems to bridge yet another in between age gap. Most teenagers in the 15-17 age range would be hard pressed to consider this age range ‘the same’ as where they are. Again, we are talking several separate age brackets going on here with varying degrees of ideas, interests, and ‘privileges’, if you will. For example, a 12 or 13 year old may be less likely to wear the same clothing as a 14-16 year old. The same is true with makeup, or even TV shows.

Read: Best Makeup Tips for Tweens