I thought that by the time we leave high school we not only leave behind the place but the ignorant followers as well.
We get four years of high school to freely explore who we are, where we are going and who we want to become in the future. So how is it possible that after four years of experimenting and trying new things people still enter college as followers?
I find it baffling that I have watched shows such as Gossip Girl where Blair Waldorf had her group of “minions” that would follow her around like lost puppies. Even movies like Mean Girls where Regina George had her posse of wannabe girls.
And yet here in the real world, in a college setting, I am witnessing the same unbelievable trends.
It irks me to always be surrounded by people who can’t decide things for themselves and instead opt to follow in someone else’s used footsteps.
Take social media for example, in today’s day in age everyone has the mindset that we should date but in no way have a real attachment to our significant other.
Guys have this image that if they allow themselves to be vulnerable with a girl they are automatically played out and have lost their dignity.
Well Ryan, let me let you in on a little secret. Five years from now when you’re ready to build a family and start a life I highly doubt that all the advice you took from the latest Twitter trend won’t land you a spot in that special girls life anymore.
Then of course we have the “One time I saw Regina George wearing army pants and flip flops. So I bought army pants and flip flops” girls who fabric by fabric copy what the latest trendsetter is wearing.
Just a few years ago girls had a severe hatred for having thick or bushy eyebrows and it was better to be caught dead than to not have thin and slightly arched eyebrows.
Now, all of a sudden girls refuse to step foot outside without having penciled in, thick, arched eyebrows.
Last, but definitely not least, we have those people who instead of taking time to see what field they want to go into and what interests them, they base their choice of major off their friends or their latest significant other.
It’s no joke when I say this, I had a friend tell me that the reason she picked the field of nursing was because her boyfriend was in it and the majority of her friends were nursing majors as well.
When did we lose sight of being individuals?
How have we normalized these situations to the point where it is perfectly common to follow behind the rest of the crowd rather than setting up our own pathway?
I can honestly say that it’s a sad scene to watch in the quad, as only a select few have a good head on their shoulders and know that they are the leading Oprah Winfrey’s of this world.
I have come to the conclusion that we just live in a world of those who follow and those who lead and those who follow others.