Friday, October 19, 2012

The Meaninglessness of Labels

There is an unspoken perception in the world, a perception that affects each and every person and yet hides unnoticed.

That is the perception of labels and simplicity.

Regardless of your social status, if people see you on the street they will full on judge you based on what you're wearing.

Wearing skinny jeans and nerd glasses? Hipster.
Wearing bright colours that don't quite match and lots of jewelry? Raver.
Dressed all in black draping clothing? Goth.

Do you want to know what's interesting? You could see me on the street on any given day wearing one of these outfits, and yet I don't consider myself any of the above three labels.

The clothes you wear can certainly impact how people see you and interpret your behaviour. But clothing does not make you a label, and labels don't force you into any type of clothing.

There is no rule that says only goths are allowed to wear tacky halloween jewelry and dark clothing all the time, just as there is no rule saying that only hipsters can drink Starbucks and listen to obscure music.

You make your own labels, and you destroy them. Life isn't as simple as slapping a label onto someone and calling it official.

Life is deep, complicated, mixed up, and shaded with every colour imaginable. There is nothing simple, binary, or easy about life or about other people. There is only variances.

Break the rules, and break the labels. They mean nothing.

So what if you want to wear a baggy sweatshirt on top of your nice professional shirt? So what if you love those jeans that may have a couple of holes in them but they still fit like a dream?

So freaking what.

Dress for yourself, be honest with yourself, and accept that each person will dress in whatever they want and that doesn't make them any better or worse of a person.

Peace, love, and butterflies.

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