America's Beauty Is In Its Diversity

Being individual is beautiful.  Individuality highlights creative, courageous, and passion souls.

The article "America's Beauty Is In Its Diversity" about Alaa El-Saad inspired me.  She liked wearing a hijab (a traditional scarf worn by Muslim women to cover their neck, face, and hair) that displayed signs of maturity and respect to her religion and to Allah's will, and also she liked to be different than other people.  She started it in 6th grade when she wore a hijab.  I wished I had her guts.  Back in the middle school, I followed what my best friends would wear girly clothes.  Not only me, I saw other kids copying others' styles like rumors.  I didn't see any uniqueness in that zone; no one dared to show their own individuals.  I totally hated it.

As a high school student, I completely ignored trends.  I didn't read Seventeen magazines and chitchatted with girls about what's popular today.  Everyone thought I was always freshman because how I looked and wore.  I barely wore make up and dressed up in a pair of cozy jean and a lazy T-shirt under my yellow hooded jacket and purple All-Star sneakers.  I always shrugged them off.  If I follow trends I don't like, then I would feel the burden of impressing others.  I would not be myself.  Being me is freedom.

It was really pathetic because I didn't know if they work so hard to be someone else.  For example, a shy Jewish boy threw his yarmulke out to transform into a bad boy with his effort and then the crowd would like him as friends because he was cool just like them.  What about his difference?  He shouldn't do that.  Thinking about people's opinion is going hurt your soul.  People turn into someone else when they lose their true selves.  That's not definitely okay.

I saw odd people.  Being odd is awesome.  For example, I saw a young adult carrying a pile of manga (Japanese comic) on the street and a man dancing in the public bus.  They embrace being different.  They inspire me to find my self.  I know my self is somewhere deep in me.  When I see something out of the ordinary, that's definitely one of a kind, I feel happy.