Reckless Youth

I'm sure we've all heard talk about 'society' and their standards. People everywhere talk about society's standard of beauty, about what is and isn't popular, constantly judging our every single move and action. If society determines everything, when is there room for individuality?

 

What, or who, is "Society"?

To quote wattpad user ThomasLarson, “Society is a relative term. It's made up of people who have accepted the norm, dictated by the ones who control the media."

To put it simply, we all make up a society! The correct definition of "society" is a group of people living together in communities who share laws, traditions, and values. Societies include cities, countries, and even the whole world! Something as small as a club or your normal group of friends might even be categorise as a society.

 

Where Do I Fit in Society?

Society labels everyone (and everything), and it starts as early as our school days: Popular, Jock, Geek, Musician, etc… Everyone's trying to fit you into one category or another. People want you to be able to say all the right things, be funny, have quirks, be able to please everyone -- there's nothing wrong with being able to do all those things, but not everyone is going to be like that. There's absolutely nothing wrong with being introverted, either. Quoting wattpad user smurfrielle, "I want it to be okay that I'm not the life of the party, and that I'm not always chumming with every person I meet."

 

"Gender roles. Fuck gender roles. I hate em. Men aren't always going to be 'manly,' girls aren't always going to be 'girly.'" ~Wattpad user Slitheen3

 

"Guys aren't supposed to cry…", "Girls have to be able to cook and stay in the kitchen…". I'm sure we've all heard sentences like these. There's always the job division, assigning roles to different genders. This instills a thought: "I'm a girl, but I can't do this. What does that make me?" or "I'm a guy, but I cry…". Society should accept that genders are equal and shouldn't be judged for their identity. It's absolutely fine to be a girl and not wear makeup, or to be a guy Directioner, or be either and do both! It's perfectly normal and there shouldn't be a gap between both genders. 

 

Another thing that society does is privileging a certain race or skin colour (and stereotyping them). 

 

Society…Salvation or Damnation?

A lot of you might be disagreeing with society's standards right now and some might actually think society's standards could be the worst thing ever! Actually, it really isn't! If societal standards didn't exist, we probably would still be living separately without a language that could enable us to communicate with one another. Remember, English is the standard international language (proven by the fact that more than 8 million people speak it worldwide, Wikipedia). Who decided that? Society did! Society is also capable of deciding trends based on what the majority of people prefer. For example, the spring flower crown trend might have spread because one person wore it, and a group of people saw it and decided they liked it too! Society spreads information so quickly and helps us discover new things that we might find interesting!

However, the actions and thoughts of one, if supported by many, can create a mutual "standard" or "definition" of a certain thing. Society can determine the way people should behave, the way a person should be like, and what's considered "cool" or "not cool". While some things, like general ethics and manners, are based upon these standards, sometimes these standards rise up too high and aren't as good as we think they are.

 

So…who am I (living for)?

You are you; your actions and decisions define who you are, not what other people say. People shouldn't be categorised -- we are all different individuals that make up one diverse society, and we should all be okay with that! You don't have to be a genius if you're an asian, and you don't have to listen to boybands if you're a girl if you don't want to! Follow trends if you want to (things are popular for a reason), or dress up the way you want: it's your life, and it's your choice. You are amazing just the way you are and no one should judge you or try to categorise you for it. Don't ever do something just for someone else, and remember: this is your life. You choose your actions and decisions, and you should be appreciated for that!

 

Sources: Wikipedia, Dailymail.co.uk, Wattpad users.