HWS Rants and Raves - This is just my little anger and frustration towards all the people here at my school who can't seem to be their own person... - Writers Writing

What's Wrong With Being An Individual?
Ever have a friend point someone out to you as "the blond in the J Crew shirt" while at the dining hall or in the Cafe, and just LAUGH? Or maybe wonder why it is you have to plan your wardrobe ahead of time with a couple friends, so you don't show up wearing the same thing (but color variations are acceptable)? Or perhaps more importantly, have you ever discovered something wrong with that? Well, obviously I have, otherwise I wouldn't be writing something like this.
I find it terribly disconcerting, for example, that the J. Crew catalog has become a way to describe Hobart and William Smith Colleges. When talking to friends back home, I don't first talk about classes, professors, or friends. I talk about the monotony. Everyone wears the same thing. And while some people might say this is an absolute over generalization, I beg to differ- I work at the post office, and I know all to well how many of the students here get the new J. Crew and Abercrombie catalogs as soon as they are published. We wouldn't get so many of those catalogs if there wasn't a demand for them; it's as simple as that.
It also comes to my attention that a lot of people are not financially destitute on this campus; given the prices of these clothes, I'm sure that many are far from my lower class background. And so it puzzles me that with all this money and credit cards that float around, that people would choose to all wear the same thing. From my own perspective, and various people I know, especially back home, wearing the same thing as someone else is not considered to be fitting in, or being "in sync" with friends. Rather, a determination of who bought the article of clothing first would be determined, and whoever bought it last would be accused of copying. Usually this accusation is merely in jest, of course; we all like the same bands, and most of us own an Operation Ivy or Dead Kennedys T-shirt. But, if someone were to go out and find something completely original that they had only seen one person have (say, my friend Eric's velvet shirt with skulls on it), they would probably be scolded and deemed a "poser", for lack of a better word; rather than be who they truly are and be themselves, that "poser" would be trying to be someone else (this is, for those who may not understand such stigma or jargon, a derogatory term).
But some people may not find this sameness to be distressing; some people like to dress a certain way, etc. I'm all for fitting in with your friends, I understand that completely. I just think that when you show up to a class and your friend is wearing the same outfit you are, it's not because you're "in sync" with that friend to the point where you're randomly picking out the same outfit; rather, you have the same wardrobe. Apparently, other people think differently- I guess it's a completely different world than what I'm used to.
I realize that I am being a bit stereotypical and generalizing- but just a bit. I think that a more ideal state for the schools would be for people to get rid of their J. Crew catalogs (I know you can do it), start following their hearts to find what truly pleases them and not just wear what makes them fit in and pleases everyone else. I pose an intriguing ideal, one that just might appeal, given what I've seen: a move for all to become individuals; just like everyone else.

Everything Herein (c) Sarahberry, 1999

ceriberi@hotmail.com

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Page Updated Fri Apr 21, 2000 8:50pm EDT