Author John Jakes once stated, “Be yourself. Above all, let who you are, what you believe, shine through every sentence you write, every piece you finish.” During their teenage years adolescents discover who they are – what interests them, what their skills are, and what they wish to accomplish in life. However, peer pressure and an intense desire to be conventional and fit in with the popular crowd at school often hinders this expression of individuality. Teenagers in the present day only seek to fit in – not to stand out. As a result, these bright young minds transform into banal robots that are programmed to follow only the command of copying everyone else.

Imagine a teenage girl wears bell bottoms, a tie-dye shirt, platform sandals, and a silly blonde wig and then saunters into a school where all the students wear the same mundane uniforms. What would other students think? They would ridicule her, tease her, mock her, and shame her. This all happens because this certain teenager, who just desires to express and distinguish herself, dared to challenge society’s expectations of what is acceptable. She stood up for herself and did not look similar to the rest of the insipidly dressed crowd. Unfortunately, this teenager would be labeled “weird” by her peers. When everybody has the same appearance, the same beliefs, similar personalities, and the same thoughts, views, and feelings, everybody just blends together into a big blotch of insipidness.

In the past as well as in today’s society, individuality is vital to society. Individuality spurs innovations, keeps life and culture captivating, and forces society to evolve. Imagine living in a world full of prosaic ideas and lackluster minds – now that would be dreary! No one wants to live a predictable and hackneyed life. That is why it is important to celebrate diversity, originality, and individuality. Adolescents should be encouraged to celebrate their unique talents, skills, and interests because this drives creativity. Furthermore, there would be no computers at home, iPhones, or light bulbs if Michael Dell, Steve Jobs, and Thomas Edison did not have that certain spark of creativity and ingenuity that led to these significant innovations. These people did not allow the platitude of life to forbid them from making extraordinary contributions to society. Therefore, teenagers should not be part of a cliché and should instead be themselves.

Being an individual is easy to want but difficult to attain. Not many teenagers want to feel peculiar. They want to feel normal just like everybody else. Individuality is a wonderful concept – but it can only be accomplished by loving oneself.