Why are the most popular trends so popular amongst this generation? Should there be diversity that all accept? Remember when you were little in kindergarten and everyone had different backpacks and didn’t care about what others thought of them? Then as the years went on, you soon found the “popular” crowd and observed what they wore and how they acted. You then found yourself acting and buying things that were the most popular at the time, constantly trying to get attention for it. Now the teen years hit which means hormones and insecurities. In our own language pleasing others is pleasing ourselves. Underneath all the social media, name brand clothes, iPhones, one shoulder bags, etc. there is someone who is insecure whose constantly trying to get acceptance even from themselves. There’s nothing wrong with pleasing yourself, that should always be the case, but you shouldn’t want to please yourself because of others. In this time and age society will always some how criticize you without realizing it. Having insecurities about yourself is one of the worst things you can do that can happen, and is on of the worst things that can happen, and sometimes to temporally stop it we “hop” on the recent bandwagon, so we don’t miss it or deemed uncool.
“[A bandwagon is] when a large group of people all the same thing in order to fit in,” said Emma Begley (9) Most people “hop” on a bandwagon because they like the trend themselves, but others feel the need to “hop” on so they aren’t seen as a nobody. When you feel the need to “hop” on the most recent trend your not being yourself your conforming to what you see around. That also goes for actions and attitudes that all people share. If I dot act like them I wont get accepted. This world is about the acceptance of diversity not similarities.
“[People don’t follow trends] because they believe its okay to do things that make you feel happy, rather than do what will only please other,” says Emma Begley (9). Look around without a criticizing mind… do you notice what the world calls it… outcast, they show no insecurities in they act or dress, in most cases they feel powerful in who they are. They are just like you and me, but aren’t afraid of the sense of diversity. If everyone were “outcast,” everyone would feel powerful, not the artificial power by being like everyone else, but true confidence. Trends like one shoulder bags, flat bils, iPhones, snapchat, Instagram, crop tops (the list could go on forever) are displayed throughout our age group tremendously. They expose our need to get accepted. With over 3,00 students at our school we see trends everyday, we walk by them by mindlessly.. But really when people walk by, you want them mentally accept you, to notice without even knowing your name. A phrase or label that has been going around is try -hards or fake, these are labels that are put on people that people believe are trying too hard to fit in or they aren’t really being or showing who they really are.
“[These labels are put in people] because even though that one person who doesn’t person that does try to follow it is considered a wannabe. There is no way to win. Society will always find a way to criticize you, and break apart every single piece of you no matter what you choose to do. Calling someone fake because they are trying too hard to act like someone else. Calling someone different because they are trying their best not to act like everyone else. Just do what you want to do; do you,” said Emma Begley (9)
I couldn’t have said it better myself. People that don’t get enough attention from people that love them, they go out to be someone else because if they aren’t getting enough attention for being themselves it must work to get attention from strangers when I act different than my true self. Honestly this is the worst level of insecurity you can get to, if you try to hard to fit in, your loosing your values and yourself. It’s also not healthy because once you establish your second self you are balancing two different people tiring yourself out mentally. If you hold this in for a long time, once you release it could be overwhelming. Every single one of us have insecurities and we will till the day when we feel accepted… that’s going to be a long time before that day… a painful journey of ups and downs. This is why we need to guard ourselves in positivity and confidence; because society without even trying will put us down. Confidence could be easy or hard too obtain, confidence comes from the mind not the what we see on the outside, but once we find that true confidence in ourselves there’s nothing like it. Everybody has insecurities don’t hide them with everybody’s trends.
