Persuasive Essay On Conformity

As a child, have you ever copied your favorite singer, wanting to be just like them? Brittney Spears was my idol. She hung all over my room and her CD was on a continuous replay. If I played any pretend game, of course my name was Brittney. At the time, I didn’t know this was so wrong. I wanted to be someone else at such a young age. As a child, I wish I was taught to not conform to be someone else and to follow my own path. I now know this truly important rule of individuality. As Henry David Thoreau said, “If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.” The people that are misunderstood and the people that are different live by this quote. They believe that conformity is identity loss because they can’t be who you really are. Don’t blend into the world that surrounds. Don’t become a faceless average Joe. People should let their colors shine for everyone to see. Having individuality is great. Coco Chanel, Aerie clothing company, and Lady Gaga all show conformity is boring and people, or companies, shouldn’t follow the social trends of the time and find a new path to march to the beat of their own drum. Coco Chanel
was a French fashion designer who became popular in the 1920’s. This era was the time of fifteen-inch waist with corsets tied so tight they could break ribs. She thought that this isn’t how modern women should dress. Coco was a sporty chic type of lady and didn’t follow the rules of dress up. Chanel designed clothes that dropped the conservative high neck dresses and substituted them with a lower cut shift dress. She wanted style but with comfort. At first everyone was appalled at all the skin she was showing. Coco broke the mold and she was very different than the other girls around her. This is what made this non-conformist come from nothing to building a fashion empire. She was misunderstood at first because she refused to follow trends, but now is a fashion icon. Coco Chanel revolutionized women’s fashion because she didn’t want to blend in with the crowd. Aerie is an affordable brand in the modern world that sells underwear, swimsuits, and sportswear. They pretty much sell clothes that show a lot of skin. And to be a model one should be stick skinny with perfect bone structure? Wrong. Aerie is breaking the unhealthy mold of conformity in the modeling industry. In the 21st century to be a model one must be very underweight, tall, and work out 24/7. Hardly any industries have varying size models because that won’t sell in the media, so they stick to a boney body. Aerie is different. They have models of all shapes and sizes. They have tall, short, curvy, muscly powerful women willing to not conform to the skinny society. The pictures in magazines and online show women of all structures posing in the clothes. All the photos are untouched images and are completely natural. The company’s message is #AerieReal trying to show that it’s not about the curves and flaws, it’s about what’s under the skin and loving the real you. This company is dancing to its own drum and doing their own thing. They are not focused on the skinny sexy image that is on every magazine cover that brainwashes people into wanting to be like them, but they take their own path and sell products with a different aspect. They don’t become just another company in the mall, they become something new that makes people feel comfortable in their own skin. They stand out as a company. Lady Gaga is a pop icon in the modern world with quite a taste of fashion. She fully believes in self-expression and doesn’t act for attention. Through her music she tends to express that it is okay to be different and you should appreciate yourself. Gaga is idolized because her idea of individuality. She understands she needs to be original to be successful. She is different than other stars. She takes her own path in song writing, preforming on stage, and her wardrobe. Her clothes are always all over magazines and online. She makes clothes out of what she wants, from balloons to meat. Gaga doesn’t care what other people think of her. Other stars care highly of what media thinks of them and has managers pick their clothes daily. Gaga is different. She makes her own drum beat. She said she isn’t here to please the music industry, she is here to make art and channel her creativity. Lady Gaga is unlike other singers. Other people in the industry are given songs they don’t write, hardly care for their fans, and are greedy with the money they make. Yes, she may like the money that comes out of it but she is mainly focused on finding herself and being the truest creative person she can be. Gaga is a non-conformist in a society full of plain Janes. She isn’t like others conforming to a certain image on the red carpet or on stage. Lady Gaga hears a different beat. One should always dance to the beat of a drum they hear.
By following everyone else in society one becomes as good as a shadow on a wall. Individuality will slip through your fingers. Creativity will escape from your mind. You can only be you. No one else has another person’s traits and abilities, so take advantage of them. By not conforming to the society around, one will have a more simple and stress free life. People should not be broken down by other people and be told what to do. By listening to others makes one second guess their values and can make them feel bad for following them. Be a strong creative individual in this world. Don’t follow people because it’s the easiest option. Have
individuality.