We live in a world of categories. What class are you in at school? What music do you listen to? Where do you live? What colour is your skin?
It helps people form an opinion of you. Not necessarily the right one, as skin colour has no bearing on personality, where you live does not dictate your hobbies, and the music you listen to does not verify your opinions. But it makes it easier for people to digest.
Then we get the cliques. This
is more to do with what music you listen to, what you wear, what hobbies you
do have and what outlook you have on life. Like with like, we tend to form ourselves into these groups socially. At our school it wasn't so much levels of popularity, but levels of bitchiness, and the real cows ruled the roost. Thank god for 6th form, they pretty much all left, and those who didn't have turned out to be quite nice people.
People often express these things, sometimes through fashion, to make other people think a particular thing. Most people are guilty of it, I know I certainly can be. Some people are worse for it than others.
But you know when, for once, you don't want to look like everyone else? I've had that a lot recently. I've thrown out loads of old clothes I had and bought a load of new ones, including some Tommy Hilfiger jeans, something I wouldn't have dreamt doing a few years ago. It would have seemed far too trendy to my rebellious 14 year-old mind. But stuff it, they're red and comfy, and I like them. I've gone into overdrive making jewellery so I can have something unique round my neck, and have been giving some away to friends when they said they liked them, but each sufficiently different from the previious.
There's no such thing as non-conformity, that's just another category in this shallow society. You don't have to call yourself a non-conformist to prove that you're thinking for yourself, just do it and the people who matter will see it.
And for the record, the reason why I won't wear the following items:
Blazors - 5 years of compulsory education. I may as well wear a green skirt and a school tie to match.
Converse - sometimes used as special shoes for small children with wide feet. I'll feel like a flat-footed cripple again. I wear low-ankle cut fakes instead, because Top Shop shoes are great.
Von Dutch - I still haven't got over flowery cap guy on the bus, and
this comic strip.
Adidas - I don't really feel like dressing like the people down my road who throw things at me when I walk by.
Kookai bags - I'm sorry, but I find them hideous. But if it's a nice one, then maybe.
Those Astro Boy tops from Camden - they've spelt Dr. Tenma's name wrong! The most recent translations out write it as Tenma, not Temma. I'd feel silly.
Really pointy shoes - some of my toenails fell off a few years ago because of shoes with dodgy toe-space. It took something like 2 years for my big toenails to be normal again.
I know most of this is excuses, but it's why I don't wear the stuff. That, and I'd feel too much like a wannabe, which I don't want to be, as I don't even know what I'm supposed to be.
Call me what you like, but my name is Suzanne.
