Fitting In
A new clothing trend is blowing up on social media; everybody’s doing it. You have to join in. However, this particular clothing item may not be within your budget, or perhaps it doesn’t suit you well, or you simply don’t like it. Yet, you still get it because you don’t want to stand out or be considered less than. This is an example of the effect of trends and how they pressure teenagers into conforming to the social ideologies of the masses.
Journeying through teenagehood is generally a complex and lengthy endeavor. Along the way, you may feel the need to “fit in,” following trends and suppressing your true interests, fearing ridicule and decreased social status. Afraid to stand out, you stay hidden and blend in. Over time, you continue to push out this personality and being, entirely curated from other people’s opinions. You become almost hollow, an amalgamation derived from social appeal—the perfect pawn amongst a multitude of other pawns.
Interview:
Question: “If you had the chance to speak to someone who is experiencing the dilemma of wanting to fit in, what would you tell them?”
Answers: “Be yourself because the people who are gonna’ like you for who you are, are gonna’ actually stick around. So you might as well be yourself.” -Landon Schultz (10)
“Don’t follow any trends and be yourself, because if you’re yourself…that’s the best thing to be. You don’t want to be like everyone else, that just makes you a bot.” -Izu Udeh (10)
Be Yourself
The recurring theme seems to be two words: “Be yourself.” However, this is easier said than done. Teens all around the world suffer from identity issues because of how afraid they are to “Be themselves.” So what is the key to Pandora’s Box of confidence? What can give someone that motivation to be themself? Let’s hear the public’s personal experiences and what led them to this awakening of self.
Interview:
Question: “What made you realize it was okay to be yourself?”
Answer: “I got tired of trying so hard to fit in. So, I just stopped caring. I started wearing what I wanted to wear, listening to what I wanted to listen to, being myself. I mean, some people didn’t like it, but why should I care what they like for real?” -Cody “Stoop” Lambert (10)
Validation
A thought that may recur often during your journey is, “What if people don’t like the real me?” Oftentimes, we feel the need to please the public and be validated by them. Allowing ourselves to slip away while we put on an act for the crowd. This “validation” harms us and our headspace. Social media plays a significant role in fueling these cravings, creating a false sense of validity with every post, like, and follow. In fact, studies show that 45% of adolescents who spend a prolonged amount of their time on social media experience self-esteem fluctuations. It seems that in this modern age, social media is almost mandatory, having become a trend in itself. It’s also responsible for teens constantly comparing themselves to others, feeling unwelcome in their own skin.
However, we must understand that we are all human; none of us is created better than the other, and everyone has their own talents, interests, and way of thinking. Be the butterfly amongst an eclipse of moths. Be yourself.
