Dare To Be Different Standing Out From The Crowd Can Be Great, Says One Teen
New schools can be hard. Fitting in, making new friends and holding on to old friends - it all adds up. School can be very tough for the first few weeks, but for those people who are obviously different from everyone else, it takes a lot longer because people are so quick to judge outsides appearances instead of who you are inside.
This is my second year in the town of Freeman (about 15 miles south of the Spokane Valley), but my first year at the high school. I met most of my closest friends last year in junior high. High school has been hard for me because I am very different from what Freeman High is used to seeing.
There are the cowboys, the preps, the jocks, the stoners and then there’s ME, by myself. And that’s fine with me. I like being different, but I think I sort of scare and alarm people at my school. They really haven’t seen many skaters or punks; all they mostly see is their parents, magazines and their friends, so they learn to fit in by looking normal like everyone else.
For the first couple of months, I was the school freak. I couldn’t walk down the hall without hearing a comment like “She scares me” or “Look at the freak.” And, of course, they teased me about my clothes because they are way beyond what they would ever wear.
Before I came to Freeman, everybody thought Value Village was a store for poor, low-income families and street people because they could not afford new things. Well, I proved them wrong. I would rather shop at a thrift store than any other. They sell the kinds of clothes I wear, they are cheap and the money goes to a good cause. So why not shop there?
Another thing is my hair. I shave most of my head, and I’m always dying it a new color. I dyed my hair tulip red once and when I walked down the hall to my locker, everyone’s eyes just about popped out of their heads. I think that is the day I turned most heads. The seniors still call me “red.” Just wait ‘til they see the next color.
The day that tops them all is the day I wore my new dog collar. I got called “Spike” and “Rover.” People barked at me and said “Here girl, sit.” Once, the brother of a guy making fun of me made him come and apologize to me.
As the year progressed, most people have taken the time to get to know me, and most have found they actually like me. Still, there is one group of about six to 10 sophomore boys who think it is so funny to tease me. They are only making themselves look bad.
But to tell you the truth, I don’t care. They can say whatever they want to whomever they want about me because I’m not changing for anyone. I like who I am and if someone would rather judge me by what’s on the outside than take the time to get to know me, they are not worth my time to worry about.
Being different, to me, is very important. Most of my life I fit in with the crowd, I did what everyone else did, I dressed like everyone else, I let others judge who I was. It really wasn’t me everybody saw, it was what they wanted to see.
As I got older I decided I didn’t like everything my friends and peers did. I started having my own opinions, acting the way I wanted to, and I started dressing different as a type of rebellion, I guess. I got stronger mentally, I built up my confidence and I was secure standing out from the crowd; it felt good.
I was respected more by people, and the people who didn’t like or respect me I just brushed off and ignored until they came to their senses. Over the years I’ve learned not to care about the negative things people say, but to build on the good things. It’s made me strong enough to keep doing the crazy things I do.
No matter what you look like on the outside, you will always be you on the inside. So for all of the people who are waging the same battle as I am, stick it out, things will change. It just takes time. More for some, less for others. People will realize there is more to you than your appearance and even if they still don’t like you, they will probably respect you for doing what you want, not what others want you to do.