In this day in age, more and more teens have sacrificed personal style for what is commonly worn: Ugg boots, Bella’s, khakis, and North Face jackets are just a few of the many overly-glorified items. Over-priced and under-stylized, most kids beg their parents for the popular accessories. However, with all the hype about what the newest trends are, a lot of people forget how to create a style of their own.

With that being said, it’s refreshing to see teens who do make an effort to show their personal style rather than wear what everyone else does. It’s nice to see people who don’t necessarily try to be different, but instead insist on being themselves. Wearing clothes that represent who you are and what you like are a lot more interesting than name brands plastered everywhere. I would rather not wear the same thing as everyone else, first of all because it’s boring, but mostly because we’re not made to be like everyone else. So why do we dress like it?

Style is something that’s created when you have a sense of who you are and how you want to present yourself. People will judge you on your appearance no matter what you wear, so it doesn’t make sense to care what they think; you might as well wear what you want and be confident with yourself. It’s more important to be happy with yourself than to care about making other people happy, from your outfits to your everyday decisions.

I’ll be the first to admit, I love a good pair of yogas from Victoria’s Secret just as much as the next girl, and I own a North Face jacket just like many other teens, but I also make a point to wear what I like. I’m not going to buy something just because everyone else has one; if it appeals to me, that’s great. If it doesn’t, I don’t feel pressured to buy it just because it’s popular. I think that it’s important to have an independent attitude in a time where so many teens follow the crowd.

Not only does having your own taste in clothes make you stand out, but it also says a lot about you as a person. People with their own style aren’t afraid to be their own individuals and wear clothes that are statements of who they are. That’s something that comes with accepting yourself and what you like, even if that means going against what everyone else likes. It takes a certain mark of maturity to realize that you don’t have to fit in with everyone else, and that is something I admire in anyone who has it.