by Frannie Downs

Created on: May 16, 2009   Last Updated: May 24, 2009

You could tell when someone is blending in. They go from one style from another that is popular, they change their personality; from generous to rotten, or when they change everything because they were picked on. The youth needs to be strong enough to deal with bullies and the pressure of acceptance and play the beat to their own drum. There are many negative effects to blending in, and numerous positive results on standing out.

What is the definition of blending in? The first thing that comes to your mind is probably you guessed it a blender. Say you put banana pieces into the blender and mix it with ice cream and milk. The banana and ice cream have to blend in with the milk, so the smoothie can be silky and taste like a liquid. I'm pretty sure that's how blending in got its name.

Standing out is when a green apple is in a group of red apples. When the banana in the smoothie is not blended in. Or, when an individual sticks to his or her values, opinions, and morals, and doesn't go what the crowd is doing if it crushes them.

Blending in is a frequent choice everyone makes.The desire of fitting in is among the youth. Everyone wants to fit in and feel accepted. It's natural. But can you express yourself? Can you fit in without disobeying your standards, parents, and teachers? If you can't what'sthe point? God made us different so each and everyone of us can express ourselves and have different opinions.

unique adj. existing as the one only one or as the sole example; single; solitary in type of characteristics

Uniqueness in yourself declares independence, individuality, and personality. More people can trust you, because you make good choices, and can attract friends and jobs.

A big characteristic of the youth? Bragging. They tell anyone and everyone that they have all of the clothes and money. Kids and teens also watch television shows about teens using drugs, getting in trouble, and being materialistic. They think that having money and getting in trouble is cool and tell other kids how much money they have, or how they get in trouble everyday. Others would want to be like them and copy them. Then it goes into this cycle of bragging, (like a teen tells another that they bought a new car without permission from their parents), which leads into a trend. That's how peer pressure forms. The youth tells others to do something that they don't want to do, such as taking drugs because thats what celebrities and the peers around them are doing. That person

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>