The Popularity Division

Take a look around. A good look around. Look around to find them, because you will. Somewhere, in every school there is always that group. The boys that hang out with those girls, and those girls that hang out with those boys. But not just any boys and girls. The boys and girls that deem themselves higher than all else. The girls with layered makeup, and the boys puffing out their chest. Boys hitting one another and girls giggling foolishly. Because they will be there. This is the social segregation.

The lunch bell rang and there was that usual commotion as everyone ran downstairs to que up. Everyone went to their normal places but for one boy who stood, playing around the long table in the centre of the cafe. A couple walked up to him holding hands and dropped off their bags giving him look of surprise and indignation mingled with disgust. ‘He’s at our table?’ They thought. Walking away without another look back he was left alone standing in the middle of all this bedlam, shunned away from all else.

In all schools around the world there is always a divide. A segregation between many similar to Apartheid that divides between different people who deem themselves more popular than others. First lets talk about the word, What does Popular even mean? The dictionary defines it as people who are admired by many people or a particular group. But why? Why does this mean you are different from others? Being deemed popular or trying to get to that stage changes so much about who you really are, From where you hang out to your dress sense, to how do you things just regularly. You become a different person under the influence of this social pressure.

Not only does it change your physical self but it undermines your personality and who YOU truly are. Its not about what you want anymore or what you do. Its about what the people want.

Sweating nervously he sat looking across the plaza. All the girls were huddled to together, all whispering looking at him every couple of seconds. Tapping his feet, he looked around to see the other boys all crammed around discussing the situation. Should I do it? Pressure waves kept running through him. It was too late to back out now.

Social pressure is also a sad thing that relates to how people change. There is always that pressure that is put on you by others, A pressure that grow’s and grow’s varying with the matter. Like a disease, It spreads engulfing you in the need to do what you have been pressured into.

A great example of this pressure is asking someone out. You yourself might not really want to, but remember? It’s not what we want anymore. Its what they want. Its not really like you have a choice either, to be perfectly honest. You do and everyones happy, however if you back down your looked down upon, and your ‘levels’ just drop like the NASDAQ.

Sitting up slowly, he took a look at what he saw. He was not happy with what he saw. Questions kept running through his mind, ‘Would she like it?’ Would they like it? Subconsciously he began putting wax in his hair to try and make it look good. Same old, same old routine ‘yikes’ He thought, hopefully people wouldn’t think to much about him today.

You see? Popularity has become a thing that makes even boys insecure about yourself. It’s all about how you look, how your image is portrayed. How people will think of you. It all comes back to the same question all the time. How will will my image be portrayed? Will I be popular enough?

‘I always tried to change for them’ A source wishing to remain unidentified tells us. ‘The way I liked to dress was no longer important. It was about the trends that were going through at the time which I eventually keeled to.’

Popularity is something that changes who you are. not the only what is underneath but the layer above, the one that everyone see’s.

Amongst other things, one of the things that ‘Popularity’ does change is what society deems you should be good at. Passions now should be something masculine, cool rather than something that you enjoy. An unconfirmed source tells us ‘Something that I am really passionate about is Dance. But I have been bullied about this in the past. Its not good enough, its Macho. Its not what everyone else wants to see. I tried to get into something else, Football, Rugby, Tennis. None of them I really enjoyed, It was Dance that was my passion.

Those football players, those rugby Jocks, those kids are the cool ones. Making the team, well that just your levels rocketing like product shares of apple when the first iPhone came out.

If there is one thing that you do after reading this, is just be prepared, be wary that their are all these different people in the world out there. They might not necessarily be bad, but what they do do is create an influenza in society, where everyone is engulfed in this need to become great.