It’s your freshman year, and you are ready for the true high school experience. You are so excited to meet new people, join new clubs, and have some fun! But,  is that the true high school experience? Is everything like High School Musical portrays it to be? As we grow up in this society of vanity, we begin to judge and rank ourselves based on the way movies like Mean Girls and Clueless have portrayed the lives of high school students. This gives students the impression that becoming a different version of themselves in order to conform to societal norms is the way to experience high school to the fullest. Movies have influenced students to believe that the way you present yourself, what clubs you join, and what sports you do define you as a person. However, some have seem to have forgotten that the type of person you are on the inside is what counts,  not what you look like on the outside. 

In the “typical” high school movie, there will always be cliques. The jocks, cheerleaders, and preppy kids are at the top of the social hierarchy. The “nerds,” and the band are usually at the bottom. Although these movies represent high school in a totally exaggerated way, there is some truth to the  hierarchy. Students who believe that they are at the top of this pyramid of popularity, also (for the most part) seem to believe that they are better or more worthy than the students at the “bottom” of the pyramid. Yet, really, the pyramid is not the pyramid of popularity, it is the pyramid of perception. 

Anyone can be at the top or at the bottom if you put yourself there. But why do we need a top or a bottom? Why can’t we all just coexist and develop strong bonds with each other as students and peers? We are the same age right? Clubs, sports, and classes usually separate kids off into cliques. Each clique has different types of people, who enjoy different kinds of activities and electives. Here is a reality check for those who need it: Everyone in high school is equal. I am just as much a person as you are, and nobody has the right to believe they are at the “top” or the “bottom” of the social pyramid. There is no such thing! A movie can be fun to watch, but a movie is a movie, it is not reality. 

We are all human and every human has the right to be treated with respect and kindness. A cheerleader is just as much a student as a band kid, and vice versa.  No club, activity, or elective is “weird” and should not be seen at the “bottom.” Through a hobby, sport, or a performing art, a person’s individuality is shown. Individuality is not “weird,” it just makes us who we are! The moral of the story is to remember that we are a class of students, more importantly humans, that should treat each other equally, and not look down on anyone for the way they dress, act, or the club/sport they belong to. Let’s forget the stereotype and just be our true authentic selves, because that’s the best version of all of us.