In many different places, like high schools and fast food restaurants, different types of clothes are trending. Whether it’s shoes, purses, hats, etc, clothes are a huge part of society and even some people’s identity. Being stylish and knowing how to dress is undeniably admirable. However, there is surely a huge difference between confidence and being cocky. The younger generation is constantly making new clothing trends. With most nice things, there is always a downside. There needs to be a focus on the arrogance of the younger generation and the lack of empathy they have when it comes to not having designer things. Many different brands and accessories are trending among teens nowadays. Brands like Bape, Lululemon, True Religion, Purple, Yeezy, Nike, and New Balance are major brands among teens. The price of these things can be very high, like at least over $150, which isn’t wrong. Many people enjoy having flashy things or simply having certain clothing pieces just because they like the look of them. People often say that having expensive clothes is stupid in general, but this isn’t true. If you like the look of something, then you should get it if you can afford it. However, many teens have taken it upon themselves to feel as if they are greater than those who cannot afford things of the same price.
There is an absence of teens with empathy, and many have a superiority complex. Even some teens boost this superiority complex onto others unknowingly. For example, some teens often put other teens who walk around in designer clothes on a pedestal. It’s fine to appreciate certain clothing pieces, but it’s important to know that we are all human, and your character and actions should determine the amount of respect you receive, not how expensive your outfit is. When other kids see students walk around in full designer or expensive clothing, they tend to give them more respect than those who don’t. Many people stick with people who can afford designers instead of forming genuine friendships. They bond over having money and treat others badly, and make comments about them being broke or lame.
There are many instances of these things happening out in the real world. For example, as a teen myself, I have witnessed it. One day during my class, a couple of students gathered around a boy and began pulling out their phones. One boy, who was quite popular, bent down and flicked the back of his shoe. The back of his shoe moved slowly up instead of moving up fastly, which meant that his shoes were a fake version of the Jordan 4s, which is a popular shoe among teens. Everyone began laughing at him, and he attempted to shrug it off and began arguing with a few others. This whole situation was honestly ridiculous. The shoes were honestly completely identical and only had minor differences. This shows that teens aren’t even wearing things to express themselves or simply because they like it; a lot of them wear expensive clothes to maintain an image.
You may question why teens feel the need to impress one another. The answer leads us to a deeper topic. Society has always presented the idea of power and being better than one another, and money is one of the most important ways people use to feel better than someone or impress someone. Teens are always trying to feel better than each other based on what society says or from behaviors learned at home. Although some adults have these views, it’s way easier to influence teens versus adults with this view due to their immaturity and due to how easily they value useless things. Naturally, many people focus on clothes and appearances simply because they want to for aesthetic reasons, however, many people focus on clothes to boost their egos. Many people also tend to buy large amounts of designer clothes to hide their own insecurities. We can solve this issue by simply doing better in the education system.
Many schools speak on bullying, but they never get specific. Schools typically speak on the effects of bullying, but not on what is actually happening. Schools will tell you not to bully others because it can lead to things like depression, but they don’t give examples of what happens. Schools should educate students on valuing themselves so they don’t believe they are more or less for not having certain items, but also let students know to prioritize their character and personality over materialistic things. But of course, this isn’t just a problem among teens. This has been an issue for many, many generations. In order to get rid of the disgusting mentality that people are better off based on designer clothing, older generations also have to stop forcing this idea onto kids.
Teens should learn to value themselves based on their character. Clothes are things that come and go, and eventually, certain trends will become outdated. Your character will always help you get far, and lacking empathy is an extremely negative effect on society. No matter what you wear, you deserve to be treated with respect.
