By Toni Wilmot, Paint Branch High School, Burtonsville, MD

Walking down the halls of Paint Branch High School, all you see are Uggs, Toms, North Face, Jordan, Hollister, and so many other name brands of clothing. I understand everyone wants to look good. Is it really that important to have all the latest brands even if the price tag is ridiculous? For today’s generation it is. Teens now judge other teens on what clothes they wear and the brand. Is name brand clothing really important? As teenagers one of our main priorities is being in fashion. Staying up-to-date with fashion trends and new brands is a must now just as it has been for all teens in the past as well. Today, it’s all about having the cute clothes or fresh new pair of shoes.

Teens spend so much for clothes these days, literally taking money right out of their parent’s wallets. Young males spend at least over $100 on shoes every week. Girls spend over $200 at the mall for sometimes just one or two items. Why do we spend so much money on designer clothes? Some people actually buy clothes for their good quality such as Uggs; they are worth the cost. They keep your feet extremely warm in the winter. But on the other side, we have teens who waste money on designer clothes just to be cool and wear what everyone else is wearing.

Teenagers now make fun of the way kids dress, and it’s such a major pressure to dress “nice” or be “fresh.” For some people, it’s just who they are, fashion, wearing what they want and not caring what other people think but also starting a major fashion trend. For others it’s all about staying up with the trends and wearing what everyone else is. Unfortunately, some individuals wear what they want and don’t care but get made fun of for being who they are.

That’s not what fashion is about. There are fashion trends, but there is a certain we called starting your own trend, being who you are and following your own fashion trend, not everyone else’s. A majority of teens want the designer clothes but can’t afford them, especially in this economic crisis. Some teens start the new school year with brand-new clothes and shoes and others begin with the same clothes as last year. It is a struggle, but the last thing a person should do is make fun of the way a person dresses. Fashion is not a flaw, and it shouldn’t be. Sadly nowadays, if you dress like you did in middle school, you are considered a “champ” or “loser”, and if you dress well you are placed in a higher category such “pretty” or “fresh” These labels ten years from now mean absolutely nothing. Nothing is better than being who you are.

You can be who you are, but sometimes it is better to always stay intact with new fashion trends. You don’t have to look exactly like someone out of Teen Vogue or Seventeen magazines, but you can dress the way you want to while still being in style and possibly starting a new trend. That’s how fashion works; whatever may be ugly now may be the hot new trend in 30 years.