Non-conformity is defined by dictionary.com as “failure or refusal to conform, as with established customs, attitudes, or ideas”. Some of the synonyms provided are “violation, disaffection, unruliness, heresy, exception, and disapprobation”. Why is it that this term has such a negative connotation? These people who choose to stand out from society, or even those who are forced out, are shunned by the general public because of a false belief that being different is taboo.
We hear and read all the time about how we should not listen to the ads in the media, and to be an individual with our own form of beauty; so why is it acceptable to ridicule someone who defies the norm and average, and creates their own form of personal expression and beauty just because they look different than us? When you have seen a “goth” or “punk” walking down the street, how many times have you automatically assumed the person is a rebel who steals and vandalizes? I know I have countless numbers of times. This is because society paints a picture of what we should be through fashion and media. When, actually, some of the nicest people I have met are punk, goth, or just plain different, while the meanest and most disobeying encountered were the “perfect” cheerleaders and preps who conform to the fashion and trends.
Dictionary.com defines conformity as “action in accord with prevailing social standards, attitudes, practices, etc.” Prevailing is then defined as “having superior power or influence”. Does this mean that the people who obey what society pressures them to be are superior? That the people who break free are inferior and should be repressed?
Society as a whole is a flawed system, but I too am one of those sucked in by promises of beauty and self esteem when really, all I receive is the opposite. The clothing makes you feel pretty, and obeying the trends makes you feel like you belong. But in truth, all it does is play on your insecurities and pull you in further; like a vicious cycle. I want to break free, but I feel pressured and trapped. So I remain as I am. I remain a wannabe minority who is harassed when she tries to speak her mind.