The title of this post is a quote from Coco Chanel. And even though she said it almost 100 years ago, it still rings so incredibly true.
I get so many letters from young girls saying that they want to try the pinup style but they don’t want to be a “poser” or that they have already tried it and gotten picked on for being different. My answer to this is… SO WHAT. Do you really want to be friends with people that would pick on you and belittle you for just trying to be, well…you? I sure as heck hope not. And to be quite honest, I don’t dress pinup or vintage every single day. How boring to just be one way always!
I was the weirdo in high school that sat in my honors classes with a mohawk and pierced lip. I wore vintage prom gowns to school and told everyone that passed me that I loved them. I spoke my mind and fought against unjust rules and policies. I was a regular in the principals office– not because I was a trouble maker, but because I was a free thinker and the fastest way to foster change is to roll up your sleeves and get shit done. In fact, I was the only one of my class of 600 that the principal hugged when she handed me my diploma.
I wasn’t popular in school. I am not even sure if I could even call myself well liked. I had my years of being picked on and being laughed at. And I also had my years of making loyal, stand up, lifelong friends– who accepted me for the person I was on the inside and couldn’t care less about how much my jeans were or if I was wearing the Gaps signature scent.
And here I am, so many years later, and when I wake up in the morning, I know that I have led every single day of my life as me, and for me. And honestly, I am pretty damn happy. So I guess the moral of this mini saga is… BE YOURSELF. You only have one life to live and one person to be… so don’t waste it trying to figure out who THEY want you to be. If you are going to put energy into something, put it into figuring out who YOU want to be. If you want to wear a pencil skirt and combat boots, that’s ok. If you want to shave your head and pierce your tongue, that’s ok. Odds are, when you look back you will laugh and shake your head at yourself. But at least you won’t be a clone.
Becoming an individual when you are young is something that will stay with you for the rest of your life. Don’t let some clueless 15 year old peer dictate who you will become. Become who you are.
17 thoughts on “The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.”