By Laura Salem, Year 11
There are two kinds of people in this world; you, and everyone else. There are those that religiously follow the crowd, and those who don’t. The question is… Why follow the crowd when you can be unique? People are afraid of doing new things. The concept of exploring something you have never done before can be frightening, it requires courage. Following the crowd, means staying in your comfort zone, giving you the comfort you need to make mistakes. It’s a natural instinct. Now, what if the “popular girl” at school said something offensive about your best friend. Would you agree with her, or stay true to yourself and defend your best friend? Personally, I like to believe other people’s opinions don’t influence the way I chose to live my life. Although if I said this was always the case, I’d be lying to you, and to myself. I am only human, just like you. Whether we do this in a setting we want to fit in, or maybe even to impress somebody, humans are herd animals, and what herd animals do to protect themselves from predators, is they hide in the crowd. We ignore our characteristics that make us unique, so we can blend with the crowd. Although we do this subconsciously, what we don’t realize, is that average is dull. Also, by doing this, you attract all the wrong types of people. The shallow, tedious and average people who don’t love you for who you are. It’s okay to hate your quirkiness, how bubbly you are, or even things such as your laugh, but going to extreme measures to change them won’t make it right, it will just make you, less you. Surround yourself with people that love you and your zany side. When you do, you will realize life would have been much easier if you had searched for people that embrace your differences.
Personally, I do not agree with categorizing people, nor do I do it myself. I am not able to define a person with only one word. There’s so much to people, I don’t see how others find it okay to determine a human’s whole being, based on a single word. This however, does not mean I do not understand why people do it. Categorizing people in groups gives us all a sense of social identity, a sensation of having a rightful place in the world. People also intensify the status of the group they belong to, making themselves seem more “relevant” and increase their image.
Like most teenagers, I too have been labeled. Most times, by being classified as “high maintenance”. Although I know this term does not define me. There is so much more to me, and that’s something people miss out on when they’re too busy categorizing me under a single term. A lot of pressure comes with a label, and although knowing that the term “high maintenance” does not at all define me, I still feel the need to live up to the name. This involves always looking presentable, keeping a smile from ear to ear, and the list goes on… The term also comes with its many stereotypes. This involves being mean, shallow, dumb and having a perfect life. None of those terms apply to me, so does the term “high maintenance” really apply to me?
You are unique, you are your own person, and a single term does not define you. You cannot stop people from categorizing, although what you can do is stop it from affecting you, and stay true to yourself. Prove them wrong. I know for a fact I fall into different categories, other than the “high maintenance”. I could be considered the “nerd” because I adore reading, the “prep” because I am into fashion, the “goth” because I enjoy wearing black, even the “thug” because I enjoy listening to rap. You wear the label, don’t let the label wear you.
