If someone were to take a look around them in the
hallways of Sandpoint High School sometime, chances are,
they would notice an abundance of polar-fleece scarves being
used as accessories. There are blue scarves, pink scarves,
scarves with a skier-print on them...the possibilities
are endless. I’m sure there are some people out there who
can look at those scarves and say, "My, that’s an adorable
scarf!" but I’m not one of those people. I look at those
scarves with nothing but contempt for them.

Why contempt? One might ask. I feel contempt because
scarves are one of the objects that represent most
everything I am against. Has anyone ever noticed the way
society and popularity attempt to make us all the same? If
that same person we used in the beginning were to take a
closer look at the people sporting the wretched scarves, he
or she would notice that those people are dressed very
similarly. Most of them would be wearing nice jeans,
usually designer, or a very expensive brand, complete with a
belt; plain, basic shirts; maybe a button-up blouse or vest
to go along with it; and ordinary brown clogs or loafers
would complete the look. They also usually carry a purse or
messenger bag, but never a backpack. The color pink also
seems to be very popular for everything from purses and
jackets to shirts and pants. This in itself disgusts me.

I’ve overheard many girls say things to each other along
the lines of, “Oh wow, I have that exact same shirt!
Thank goodness I didn’t wear it today! Don’t you love it
though?” and the other will generally reply with something
about how much she likes the aforementioned shirt and how
it’s ‘so funny’ that they have the same article of clothing.
Whenever I hear those sorts of conversations, I want to
gag. Telling them to break out of their conformity and go
buy something that no one else will have is pretty much the
only thing on my mind. That, along with how much I really
detest un-original people. I simply do not understand why
anyone wouldn’t consent to being an individual--life is so
much more interesting that way.

Just earlier today, I was being told of a conversation
between two or three girls about whether they approved of a
different girl’s boyfriend. The reason they approved of him
was because he once wore his pajamas to school. The
girlfriend said she would never do that, unless of course,
everyone else was doing it too. I thought to myself, you
know, that would be my reason for doing it--that no one else
would. During homecoming week this year, we didn’t have a
pajama day. My friends and I, deeply upset about this,
decided to just wear our pajamas to school anyway,
regardless of what sort of dress up day it was. When people
asked us why we were wearing pajamas, we merely told them
the truth: because we wanted to. We really didn’t have much
of a reason for doing it, except that we felt like
wearing our pajamas, and there was no specific day, so we
made our own. I am very willing to bet that a vast quantity
of popular people in Sandpoint High School would not
consent to doing that, simply because they wouldn’t want to
be the only ones wearing pajamas.

I will admit that sometimes, dressing differently or
doing something off-the-wall is sort of embarrassing at
first, but once you get into what you’re doing, its not that
big of a deal. There was an incident in a Target store
where my friends went running around the underwear section
with thongs on their heads. I’ve been known to drape
embarrassingly huge thong underwear on the huge sign
displaying its price in a Wal*Mart store. I dyed parts of
my hair blue over the summer. I walk around school with my
best friend reciting intriguing Marilyn Manson lyrics. I
wore my pajamas to school for no apparent reason. Do I care
what people think of me? On occasion yes, but for the
most part, I really could care less.

In conclusion, my recommendation to people is for them
to just be themselves, and for them to not let society
or "what’s popular" dictate how they act, where they shop
and what they wear. In the long run, it really doesn't
matter, and in the end they'll be a better person for it.