Materialism

        Every high schooler knows that in order to be recognized and popular you need to have every new piece of technology or apparel under the sun. Materialism is especially ingrained in my generation. Even I, find myself making decisions on my purchases based on what others want or already have. For example, when I had to purchase a laptop for school, I had an especially hard time deciding between an expensive but very popular Macbook or a less expensive Windows computer. I ended up going with a Macbook, and sure enough on my first day of school I noticed that all of my close friends had the same exact computer. It was almost strange. We look like a group of identical octuplets; not diverse, dressed similarly, and using the same kind of computer. I am not a big fan of clothes shopping, unlike most of my friends. So when it comes to fashion I'm a bit bland, but it doesn't really bother me. However, I do find that my friends will pressure me to try different types of clothing or to wear my hair down more often (I hate my hair down because it gets in my face and in my way). Currently I have not taken any of their fashion tips. I'm happy the way I am, but I know many people (some who are my close friends) who are prone to peer pressure to peer pressure and become materialistic. It's not just girls who are materialistic, guys in my school have a huge brand issue. They must wear Nike, Adidas, or Vineyard Vines every day of their life at school (none of this brands are inexpensive). Their clothing choices aren't that appealing even, but they still wear the same clothes day after day (that includes shorts in winter months). If just the students in my high school were a bit more frugal and bought one less popular brand item we could save at least a few thousand dollars. Another thing that bothers me is the obsession with makeup and beauty products (like lotions and soaps). Not only are those things often way overpriced, but they also contribute to many bad things. For instance, why would one need makeup unless they felt that people really wouldn't like them without it (that could be due to extreme self esteem issues)? There is also all these bad things that go along with manufacturing and creating beauty products like animal testing. Despite all of this at least 75% of girls in my school wear some sort of makeup (I'm not one of them). I especially hate it when I see little girls seriously using makeup (not like raiding their mom's supply for red lipstick just for the fun of it). One of my sister's friends often uses mascara and concealer (she's ten). I could only justify using concealer to cover up pimples, but as most ten year olds do not have pimples I don't think it is appropriate or healthy. Another little girl I know, who is eight, is very eager to use makeup. Thankfully her father is very opposed to it. If you thought long and hard about the things you actually need you might be surprised at how much you have that you don't need. For example, an iPhone, although useful, it's often distracting and very expensive (there are other less expensive substitutes). Most apparel from Nike, Adidas, Vineyard Vines, American Eagle, and other popular brands, is expensive, low quality, and not necessary to your survival. You can find great items for less from knock off brands. Remember, you can always wash most clothes, so ten or fifteen pairs of jeans are probably not necessary. Try donating a few pairs. A lot of people say that they feel much more fulfilled without a lot of stuff (ironically). So getting rid of silly items that you don't really need could make you feel better. Try being more conscious about what you buy and what you need, and remember there are people who can't even get what they actually need.