Brace yourself for some LOOOOOOOOOOOOONG comments.

I myself have made too many teen skins, if anyone knows me, they either know me for my teen designs or my visual effects. First-hand, I've had experienced both worlds, the way people treat you is very different, so is feedback. And I've also have had experience on those skins which are in between, and so is the perception different too.

Disregarding creativity, designs, techniques and concepts, it all comes down to intentions of the person—How much feedback are you looking for?—How many diamonds do you want?—What fanbase are you looking for?
As much as some practice it as a hobby and some are professional skinners, we all have a profile and we are all looking something out of it—else we wouldn't upload our skins at all, and that's very obvious.  And desiring a sucessful profile isn't wrong nor selfish, for as long as there is a hierarchy we will always try to accolade.

What else is Planet Minecraft also? It's a community too. There is more than skinning to Planet Minecraft, sometimes more than what we think. Even work unrelated to Minecraft receives more praise. And we just forget what Planet Minecraft truly should be. Sometimes I believe people just don't like Minecraft, just like the in-the-box tools and concepts where anyone can make images out of pixels and be relevant.

I don't believe teen skins are the problem, I believe the problem is the bias we're all carrying and how we're all bashing ourselves to believe we're better, or this community could be better, when this community is no longer ruled by skinners like myself or yourself. And this doesn't means at all I like seeing pop-reel full of teen skins, just that it's the truth: those with more feedback, more subscribers and a bigger fan-base are teen skinners, and that's what we all strive for when publishing our content online.

I believe bias comes from something as simple as disliking teen skins but liking anime, when both are such forms of abstraction, where the characters depend on shading, colors, and outfits. There will be exceptions, how there are some outstanding characters here in Planet Minecraft, just as there are on anime, but for the most part this statement stays true. But on any level of abstraction as such, when you epitomize the primary characteristics, it all depends on shading and colors.

Regardless of how things are, here is what I think: The segregation is evident in all types of creation. Sometimes I'm baffled to see some people on this community skyrocket when I've been on this place for three years, making some of the best skins and trying to stay original in all of the fields I provide. Sometimes I'm baffled at the hypocrisy amongst content and the promotion skinners on this community get by their name. Sometimes I'm baffled that even abiding to what you say, doing "something outside the box", everything was in vain, feedback and support was still a lack. And you really start doubting what is it that you want because lack of feedback, the lack to upload your content.

So if it comes down to the possiblity of being relevant, having more feedback and being able to provide with some of your capabilities, the sacrifices are worth it. That's really all it sums down to. If nothing mattered, we wouldn't upload our content, but everything does matter. And we really all want something more, but the ways we use to achieve what we desire just don't work, in this case my argument regarding your opinion to what you ask from teen skinners.
As a disclaimer, this isn't a declamation, nor something as serious as a speech, it's just a critique starting from the fact that what we ask is just not going to happen.

I would.. but i have no idea on how i would shade something non teen-ish

Teen skin would be meaningless, because most of the players just use teen skin as their OC, if u make a teen skin. They will just steal it as their own. Also, it is a disrespectful to our skinners, that's why I hate teen skin

it's funny bcuz if u make teen skins ur talentless

Holy crap. It's insane the amount of people who got worked up over this, trying to describe a fun little hobby in a huge way... "You are making people change who they are." What?! How, in any way, is posting a skin just encouraging people to try something new changing their personalities? Also, last I checked, no one has to listen to any of this. Just read and move on if you have nothing kind to say. A small, irrelevant minecraft skin is not going to hurt anyone, and certainly not affect a person's personality. People coming in here to made huge arguments about how teen skinning is like a way of life are acting like children (if they actually aren't in the first place) and intentionally getting on people's nerves to get a point across that had absolutely nothing to do with what PureNerd said. He has done nothing to hurt anyone in any way, and it's unfair to blame him for ruining morale and changing people's personalities. Move on; obviously nothing anyone can say will change his mind or makes anything better. It's pointless to bring up irrelevant arguments that had nothing to do with the original post. (^:

this is why i really hate being a teen skinner. because everyone really hates teen skins, and i dislike being apart of the negative side of things. Ive tried to make elabrate things like your explaining, but i just hate it and i dont have the creativity for it. id rather stick to what im good at honestly. Seeing some higher level people that i used to look up to saying shit abt teen skinners in the comments really hurts my feelings, but an opinon is an opinion and i respect that, but when the majority of skinners on here are teen skinners, its risky to say things negative abt it, and i dont think they understand how sensitive people are and how much time we put into what we do. Were all the same, we just express skinning in different ways. no one should change just cause a handful of people dislike what their doing. but thats just my opinion on things c: <3