Written by 
by Johanna Matthews
I have an abundant amount of compassion and respect for the few that still walk alone….by that I mean those who still remember who they are and refuse to live life through conformity or in better term the “follow the pack” mentality. I have theories and ideas that can veer me off to a whole other subject so I’ll keep it plain and simple.
I am starting to grow weary of our society for many reasons but I’ll start with individualism. One of the most, if not THE most important essence of who we are as human beings is the fact that no one person is the same, whether you were born a twin or happen to be genetically created as a clone. There still has to be a clear separation between one person to the next.
So, when I happen to catch a glimpse of shows that are very popular among us like “What Not to Wear” – promoting sublimely that we should follow, be in unison with society’s ‘norm’ standards of fashion and forget how we want to express ourselves individually because it may be frowned upon by the rest, scares me. While it may be an extremely entertaining show I fear for what shows like these have done and continue to do to society.
Here is the most baffling part of it all, that in the fashion world, we can see on the runway the most eccentric, hideous, in-your-face and totally not something you can walk with on the streets type of clothing getting applauses, and yet these are okay to whom? Let’s be honest, if you picked a random person out of the street and dressed them in almost anything that we see on the catwalk of the highest and most exclusive runway shows, they would not only get stares, but laughs and finger pointing. But take that same piece of clothing and slap it on a ‘model’ to sashay and shimmy down superficiality road (a.k.a the catwalk) and you’ve got a winner, you’ve got art! What gives?
Part of the issues with our standards of beauty is what the media continues to shove down our throats on what we “should” look like, act like, become as, etc. And so I ask you this, at what point in life did individualism get tossed in the backburner and a wave of ‘followers’ began to taint our social laws for everyone to have to abide by?
I know that if we tried to promote individualism and the beauty that this can bring to the world then I truly believe we would be able to start losing problems we have been facing with for decades, such as…depression, teen suicides, anorexia, bulimia and many others. While it won’t be the ultimate cure, it could definitely be a step towards the right direction.
So, the next pilot for a hit television show? “Be You!” – I don’t know the details of what it would be about but it should showcase everyday individuals doing extraordinary things and focusing more on the change America needs as a society and less on how ‘current’ and ‘cool’ their clothes, hair, walk and talk are. Please take my idea Hollywood, run with it and let’s create a change! We all know America is in dire need of many changes (politically, globally, economically, environmentally), but if we started from the inside out, we might be able to pull this one off!
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Johanna Matthews is a journalism student with a passion for all things literary. While she rather write then read (go figure?), she does love to take some time out of her busy schedule and relax with a good book in hand. Her goals and aspirations grow wide and vary day by day but her desire to one day publish a NY Times Best Selling book will always be at the top of her list. She may not be shy but is definitely an extrovert that hopes to inspire some and provide a realistic and truly honest take on all things relationship!
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