Ella is not alone – many young people use clothes as a way to express who they are. A pair of trainers, a back-combed quiff, a bright vest top or a style of jacket can all give clues about our likes, dislikes, musical tastes, style. Sometimes, our clothes help us to fit into a friendship group, become part of a ‘tribe’, and at other times mark us out as ‘different’.

Ella knows she wants to try out some new looks, but worries about what her friends will say. They may not understand or approve, but they’ll still accept her style choices! If expressing yourself through clothes is important to you, you may find you have to go ahead anyway… being just like everybody else is not an option!

Like Ella, when I was younger, I was too worried to dress the way I really wanted to… but when I did start sneaking weird and wonderful items into my wardrobe, it felt great! My friends took it in their stride and it felt natural to show my creative side in the way I dressed… I went from super-shy to quietly confident almost overnight.

So what if people were looking at me? Suddenly, that was my choice – I could turn heads with a crazy vintage dress, Doc Marten boots and through-a-hedge-backwards hair and still keep smiling. Because that was the way I WANTED to look. That was ME.

I don’t dress like that any more, but I don’t follow fashion, either… I stick to my own style. It’s a little bit weird and wacky, just like me… and that’s the way I like it!

Let It Out

Cathy

I have a great group of friends who are very caring and lots of fun – quite ‘girly’ girls. I am like them in many ways, but I also have some very strong views about animal cruelty, endangered species and eating meat. I’d like to talk about these things sometimes, but I’m worried they’ll think I’m a freak!

Sita, age 13

Dear Cathy

My friends are mostly great, but one does make racist comments sometimes and nobody ever says anything to her. I am mixed race, although you might not think so to look at me, but I think I’d find it upsetting no matter what. I just cannot stand prejudice and ignorance. What would you do?

Fern, age 14

Standing up for what you believe in – that’s a tough one. We all know we should do it, but finding the courage can take time. If you have strong views, like Sita, but usually keep them to yourself, your friends won’t be expecting you to suddenly steer the conversation away from nail varnish and boy bands towards more serious topics. They might raise an eyebrow, but I bet they’d be quite interested to hear your ideas and feelings… try it and see!

Sita may find that some of her friends feel the same way. Together, they may agree to cut down on meat or even go veggie, or check that their make-up brands are not tested on animals… even raise money to save African elephants! Even if Sita’s friends don’t share her views, it’s good to talk about issues like this sometimes… there’s more to life than nail varnish. And friends can have different views, as long as they still respect each other.