In Two Words or Less, Tell Me Who You Are

Ready…go.

What was your answer? Are you preppy, or grungy? Are you a skate or snow boarder? A surfer or beach bunny? Gothic? Emo? A drama nerd? Or are you something completely different? Were you ever any of these things?

Whichever (if any) of these you identify with, I would be willing to bet that you had stereotypes in mind for the appearances of the other categories. Although many people will speak out against the dangers of stereotyping, it is a sad fact of our culture that it is essentially inevitable. It is part of human nature for people to categorize others into groups in order to better understand themselves and the world around them, and the easiest way to do this is to judge based on appearances. The stereotypes associated with certain groups and the way they dress can never completely disappear; the best way to deal with them in our society is to understand and critique them.

I often wonder whether these groups are even that different. When it comes down to it, people use fashion as a way to express themselves and their beliefs, and that applies to all groups, ranging from preppy to gothic. The stereotypes cannot be avoided, so the best thing to do is to be true to yourself and not worry about what people will think.
Other people judge what they do not know or are afraid of, and this is how stereotyping continues to affect our society. But there is no real problem with stereotyping until someone takes it too far; the simple categorizing that all people do has no real negative impact because it is based in truth. Each group tries to make a statement about who they are and what they do through their fashion choices; the relaxed style of surfers says something about their lifestyle, as does the dark style of goths. So how a person presents himself or herself sends a very clear message into the world about where they have chosen to fit into society, and ‘chosen’ is a very important word. After all, since everyone gets to pick their friends and the people they associate with, it follows that everyone chooses their own clique and the clothing style that goes along with it. A person’s appearance is in his or her own hands. However other people stereotype that appearance, all that really matters is that each person embraces who they are and expresses that with their clothing.

Part of me will always be a drama nerd, and my style will always reflect that. Some people will judge me for that, and other people will wholeheartedly accept it, but the most important thing is that I know who I am. Stereotyping can never change that.