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#Post#: 38--------------------------------------------------
Less Than Positive Start to the New Year?
By: Kennina Ip Date: August 20, 2012, 7:15 pm
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It’s that time of year again, the beginning of yet another
grueling and stressful school year. Students rush to buy new
clothes, backpacks, make-up, accessories and school supplies.
Television ads and stores all offer great deals so that students
can prepare for the ‘ultimate comeback’ as a new and improved
him or her. To students, especially freshmen, a new school year
is just another year to try and set new impressions, another
year to try to fit in with the desired crowd. “Everyone wants
to make a statement and be acknowledged in some way. It’s hard
to show you’re academic or athletic strengths during the first
day so appearance is the way to go,” says Jennifer Louie (’14).
Although it is hard to generalize a whole group of people, it is
safe to say that Ms. Louie’s mentality is the same of that of
many, if not most, teens. At first glance this does not seem to
be a problem. After all, making good first impressions is always
important. However, as we dig deeper into the issue a problem
can be detected.
Students get so caught up in the need to reinvent themselves
they lose sight of more important matters. Matters such as how
they plan to approach the new school year and the stress that
goes along with it. Matters such as how to live a healthy
lifestyle by balancing work and play and all the while giving
themselves time to be them. A sophomore (who wishes to remain
anonymous) shares, “There were a few times when I didn’t do that
well on my tests because I went shopping with my friends instead
of studying. I didn’t want them thinking that I was nerdy or
anything.” This is when keeping up appearances and trying to
‘turn a new leaf’ takes on an unhealthy role in students’ lives.
Not only does this obsession with trying to fit in affect
schoolwork. It can also affect student health. Clara Yan (’14)
says, “People want to look attractive and be popular. If they
don’t fit in, they get depressed. Although depression is an
extreme case, being excluded can definitely be a blow to one’s
self-confidence, a factor which only makes students even more
determined to try to conform. Ms. Louie comments, “I’ve seen
girls completely change and try super hard just to fit in with a
certain crowd. I feel like they dropped their personality just
to fit in.” Unfortunately, these situations seem to be
increasingly more common among teenagers, especially among
freshman. The reason being that high school is equivalent to a
new chapter of their lives, meaning a new chance to start over.
In order to fit into the desired groups students are constantly
worrying about their appearance and actions.
With the increase in marketing that utilizes the self-image
appeal it is no wonder that the image idea has become a growing
concern among the younger demographic. They are constantly
surrounded by gossip about the newest diets and the newest
fashion. What these students are missing is that it really
doesn’t matter if you dress poorly or aren’t popular. A new
school year isn’t about those things; it’s about learning. Those
who treat school like a fashion show or a party forget this and
it can be detrimental to their high school careers. When
students become too obsessed with superficial things such as
trying to look good for their peers, it takes away from learning
and studying. By no means does this mean that students shouldn’t
try to assimilate within the school community, but they really
need to reprioritize and figure out what is most important.
Students need to learn that being themselves can still earn them
acceptance among their peers. Corrin Chow (’13) sums it up as,
“No one really cares about what you wear; it’s about the work
quality you produce-especially in Herricks. It was never about
how well you dress, but whether you could compete with the
others in your grade to get a guaranteed spot in the Ivy League
colleges.”
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