ASHLEY, AGE 16, WY
My name is Ashley, and I'm 16 years old and a junior in high school in Wyoming. I think that it is important to fit in with a group of people that you feel comfortable with and that like you for yourself.
Teenagers tend to associate with the "in" crowd to be popular. To me that is the wrong reason to make friends or try to fit in. You should want to hang out with people that you have fun with and like to be around.
I think that in today's society it is hard to fit in because people judge you unfairly. They might not want you in their group because of race or money. People seem to be intimidated by groups. For example, our cross country team is very close, and we are always together. People tell us that we are only friends with each other. But when you spend 12 hours of the day together it's hard to not be best friends. We don't exclude ourselves in any way, but if you look around the lunchroom you not only see the cross country team, but the swim team, popular kids, the volleyball team, and the kids who are less fortunate, to name a few. I think that when people see a large group of teenagers or kids they automatically assume that they're not invited to be part of that. They feel rejected by a group that hasn't rejected them.
ALISON, AGE 14, NJ
It should not be important to fit in, but I guess I'm a shallow person because I think it's kind of important. Almost everyone wants to be in with the latest fashion, language, etc. But most of all, they usually want to fit in. I honestly think that not too many people don't want to fit in.
KERRY, AGE 16, OR
I don't think it's very important at all to fit in. I don't really care what people think. I just do what I do and if people like it, fine, and if they don't that's fine too. I guess image and other people's perception of them is important to a lot of people. It doesn't matter to me at all.