Cliques, Labels, and the Eternal Middle School.

   It seems like every other sentence these days, at least around the 20ish age group, involves the word hipster. People, weary to discuss certain subjects out of fear of getting the big taboo-of-the-now word HIPSTER imprinted on their forehead. People, second guessing their tastes in music, cinema, and clothing… too afraid to be like everybody else, but still too afraid to be like nobody else. 
    The labels and clothing have changed since 7th grade, Goth/Prep, Emo/Jock, Scenester/Hardcore, Greaser/Soc, but they all represent the same extreme ends of the spectrum. Don’t forget about the hate that you are required to have for the opposite party. Level 99 Goths and Varsity Football players have more things in common than they think, with the strongest being, to stay as far away from what the opposite acts like, dresses like, listens to, watches, eats, and is. The main reason for dressing like others, is for comfort and popularity, because being someone in those few crucial years of adolescence is more important than anything else in your life. Unfortunately even some parents believe this to be true. You already knew this so lets skip that subject altogether.
    It may have been a long time, and the memory may have been flushed down the toilet with the rest of your brain cells since then, but remember when the goth/emo/scene kid would say that the reason they dressed the way they do was to express their individuality? What a crock of shit that was! No matter what you wear and how you wear it, chances are, you’re following some sort of trend. To even try so hard not to be in a clique, places you in a clique which brings me to my next point. The whole anti-hipster movement is sweeping the nation by storm, faster than the hipster phenomenon did (Actually I don’t remember there being a hipster movement, just a non-hipster movement.). Hipsters gonna hip etc, etc. You wanna know what doesn’t make an individual? Doing everything in your power to not be like someone else. What kind of “individual” are you if you are the exact opposite of somebody else (being the opposite of someone does, at least, make great conversation.)? Sacrificing things that you possibly love, just because you are so afraid of a label.
    You wanna know what it means to be an individual? Being an individual is not the goddamn fashion show that punks are now. Being an individual is not hating the labels that you stray sooo far away from. Being an individual is not worrying about being an individual. Forget about labels, forget about hipsters, just be who you are. Don’t listen to the OMG LOL HIPSTER or YOU’RE SO SCENE XD. Be who YOU wanna be, listen to what YOU want to listen to, and dress the way YOU want to. If your friend put you down because of something you love, then it is time to get new friends. Not caring what people think about you is probably one of the hardest things to do, whether you admit it or not, but this is the key to being who you truly are at heart. In the end, there is nothing better than being proud of who you are.