Embracing conformity: West Ranch females are Happy to be “exactly like other girls”
“We don’t have a clique problem,” the clear voice of Regina George projects through my Macbook. Regina glares at the teacher after standing up in the gym, proclaiming that the students at her school were perfect — just like ours are!
In West Ranch, the catchphrase “I’m exactly like other girls” can be heard at least twice a day. No one wants to stand out. Uniqueness has gone out of style a long time ago. With the arrival of 2020, the trend is to be the same and embrace your true form as a Brandy Melville-wearing, Starbucks-drinking woman like the rest of us.
West Ranch used to have diversity and different cliques. Those deemed the “goths” would make the sunniest days look depressing, wearing all black and sporting thick eyeliner, while the “nerds” would debate over math formulas, not the really important problems like the state of their skin or the size of their clothes!
But now, all is well. This is a new era with a revolutionary change in everyone’s dynamics. No one has to spend time choosing what to wear in the morning since we know everyone else also has the same clothes in their closet. No one stands out, but no one is left out.
I walk on campus with a smile. My blue Brandy Melville skirt and my black sweatshirt with a butterfly design look perfect together. In one hand, I carry a Starbucks drink. The other sports a scrunchie that matches the color of my very tiny Kanken backpack. My brand-new Air Force Ones have been stepped on exactly 25 times to give off the “I didn’t even try” vibe.
“Hey!” I turn towards the bubbly voices of my friends, all in unison and around the same pitch. We’ve been working on getting our “Hey!” at exactly an A-sharp pitch, and it’s definitely getting there.
“We’re twinning!” I call out in response. Four girls all wearing Brandy Melville skirts and drinking Starbucks stare back at me. We all decided to part our hair exactly five centimeters to the left of the middle, with blond highlights and butterfly clips. I sigh in content. Everything is right with my world, and I know my ‘fit looks cute.
I come to school fashionably late; I obviously need time for my two-hour makeup routine and to pick up my custom Starbucks drink which doubles as my breakfast. The line at Chick-fil-A is very long sometimes, and I need my chicken sandwich. So what if sometimes I’m a couple minutes (or hours) late?
And I know that I’m not alone in my routine. The entire female population of West Ranch High School has developed the same personality, fashion style and way of talking. We have achieved maximum conformity, making all girls like the others.
And we all love living like this, acknowledging our similarities.
However, in reality, even with many girls wanting to follow trends in the way they speak or the way they dress, we can embrace our unique selves. It’s okay to like the things everyone else does or like something completely different. Conformity isn’t bad and neither is uniqueness: Maybe we can all find a happy medium in between the two.