Growing up is never easy; our teenage years are our “prime suffering years” which help to mold us into the people we will become. During these years of trial-and-error, most of us are easily influenced by external forces, especially by our peers. I have keenly observed, in my recent years of adolescence, the alarming trend amidst today’s youth of doing things that may go against their beliefs in order to fit in and not be ostracized. Teenagers are choosing to let go of their individuality, forgetting that our differences are what make us unique. At this point in life, popularity seems to be the most important thing, but sacrificing who you are in the process of gaining popularity is, in my opinion, like ripping every ounce of genuity from your soul and willingly throwing the gift of individualism away to become a social sell-out. This superficial trend worries me a great deal because when teens are consumed by the social tide, they often find themselves drowning in the mainstream, their true identities washed away and forgotten; they assume new identities to “fit in” and “be cool.” But for goodness sakes! It’s only high school, where everything is temporary, and twenty years from now, when people reflect on their high school years, they will forever remember the kind of person you were, and hopefully you were someone real in an ever-growing world of imitation. As James Mason said, “You were born an original. Don’t die a copy.”