“You were on Connor’s Hottest Girls at School list.”

“What about you?”

“Actually, I was on both—his and Craig’s.”

“Hope you told them the whole thing’s messed up.”

Eva hadn’t. She wanted to be seen as “one of the boys.”

Rachel, my research partner, and I wrote this exchange on one side of a brick. We wrote “Pick-Me Girls” on the other side. Then we added our brick to the forty-seven others forming the “Girlhood” tower.

This was all part of ComplexCity, an art installation designed to explore the complexity of the contemporary American teenage experience. The city we created was made up of towering structures of words and murals dedicated to topics ranging from girlhood and masculinity to mental health and many more. (You can read all about it in this Washington Post article.)

The towers standing together struck visitors with a rather straightforward truth that somehow eludes many adults: beware simple conclusions about the complex experiences of being a teenager today.

This truth is especially important to keep in mind as many social scientists and politicians scramble to prescribe policies to “fix the teenage mental health crisis.” The only way to understand contemporary teenagers, their lives, their joys, and their struggles is to put down the survey clipboards and listen to actual teenagers—firsthand, person to person.

That is why we, the teenage creators behind ComplexCity and the Museum of Contemporary American Teenager (MoCAT) are so honored and so excited to be part of the Youth and the Future of Culture program at the 2025 Smithsonian Folklife Festival.

“Teens Who Have Changed the World” | Illustration by Kelsea Petersen | Animation by Olivia Carty

“Teens Who Have Changed the World” | Illustration by Kelsea Petersen | Animation by Olivia Carty

Why Present and Celebrate Teen Culture?

There are 42 million teens in the United States today, making up 13 percent of the population. No single demographic has had a larger impact on American culture past or present. Yet, teenagers remain largely stereotyped and oversimplified.

So, for our Totally Teen Summer in 2025, MoCAT is teaming up with the Folklife Festival, American University, and the Kennedy Center to bring the definitive celebration, exploration, and exposition of American teens. This collaboration will shed light on the vibrant assortment of youth movements, often overshadowed by mainstream narratives. Through art, performances, and interactive exhibits, we aim to redefine perceptions and showcase the diverse voices shaping today's teenage experience.

Central to our mission is the celebration of teenage creativity and expression through various forms of art and performance. We’ll activate flash mobs to animate the Festival grounds with bursts of choreographed movement and music. These flash mobs will serve not only as entertainment but also as powerful statements of unity, reflecting the passion of young people today.

In line with our values, MoCAT will also address pressing issues regarding social justice, mental health, and identity politics from the perspective of young activists and advocates. By centering these narratives, we hope to empower teenagers to reclaim their stories and challenge prevailing stereotypes.

What Should Visitors Expect?

Imagine a high school hallway on the National Mall! In that hallway, you can explore photographs and artifacts from teen lives past and present.

Off that hallway, you’ll enter spaces that exemplify the teen experience. You can engage in discussions of school, teen mental health, and youth activism in the classroom. Enter the area around the Bedroom and Bathroom to explore how teens express themselves.

Of course, there is far more to the teen experience than one festival can cover. Totally Teen Summer also presents ongoing Battle of the Bands events throughout the summer, a fine art show at the American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center in June, and a youth conference at American University in September.

What Is Our Goal?

Our main goal is to highlight the importance of youth culture, which is so often overlooked. Teenagers are doing so much in the world, and yet perceptions of us are often limited to assumptions about social media, ignorance, and more.

We, contemporary teenagers, are much more than these assumptions and have much, much more to be proud of and strive for than making Connor’s “Top Five Hottest” list.

Together with some of the most storied institutions in the Washington, D.C., area, MoCAT plans to show that there is so much more to today’s youth than others realize.

Natalia Fleischmann is a co-founder of MoCAT and senior at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School.