In the dangerous and strange world of high school, it seems almost impossible to figure out ways to avoid getting labeled. Sometimes, you may lose yourself in the flurry of rumors that surround your name, but there’s no reason you have to be labeled as any one thing in high school. Check out these ways to avoid getting labeled to always keep your peers guessing!
One of the easiest ways to avoid getting labeled is to try new things. You can’t be known as the singer, or the nerd, etc. if you’re always trying something new! High school is all about trying new things anyway, so it’s best that you do so regardless. However, trying new things will definitely make getting labeled a lot more difficult!
Most often, labels emerge based on whom you’re seen hanging out with. If all of your friends have been labeled, it’s relatively easy to label you, too. That’s why a key part of avoiding labels is having a variety of friends. Show that you don’t judge or discriminate, and that your group of friends is as unique and interesting as your personality!
Another thing teenagers usually base labels off of is the way you dress, unfortunately. All that means to you though is one thing- a shopping spree! You get to shake up your ensemble daily or weekly to prove to people that you can’t be stuffed neatly into a box based on how you dress. It isn’t necessary to dress outside of your comfort zone, of course; you can combat labels easily by just making small changes to your outfits that make people’s heads turn.
I know that this one is easier said than done, but if you can figure out a way to successfully stop rumors in their tracks, you’ll be doing yourself a huge favor. Labels come most often from being misrepresented, and those misrepresentations arise from rumors! If you hear of a rumor about you, begin snuffing it out right away, preserving your unlabeled reputation.
Often times, the people who label you simply don’t know you. That’s why you should talk to people at your school and really get to know them. They’ll see that you’re a much more complicated person than petty rumors make you out to be. Labels are so small and finite, that they simply won’t fit your personality once people get to know the whole you!
Being a trendsetter automatically promotes you to a station high above labeling. People won’t know what to expect when you’re always breaking societal norms and putting experimentation above all other pursuits. No one will put you in a box when they’re too busy wondering what move you’ll make next!
Who you are is not someone who can be easily labeled. We are all so unique that you can’t logically be labeled as one thing. Sometimes, though, we try to label ourselves. If you find yourself confining your personality to something smaller than it really is, stop right there and just be yourself so that you can’t be easily labeled by others!
Getting labeled is no fun; it’s annoying and disappointing when labels don’t line up with who we truly are. In order to be free from labels, you have to avoid getting labeled altogether. How do you accomplish that? Do you use one of these tricks?