Fashion and style have always been known for helping people express their individuality. A person's style can reveal what their personality is like, and wearing the clothes you love can help make you feel more confident about yourself. However, one major problem about the fashion industry is that the definition of beauty tends to be centered more around what brand of clothing or makeup you use rather than your unique style. And this can cause major issues for any consumer, but especially for teens and young adults.

Instead of focusing on the colors or uniqueness of the makeup or clothing item that someone is wearing, the focus becomes the brand of that item. It doesn't matter if what you're wearing is stylish or unique, what matters is the brand that you wear and whether it's considered high-end. And it's not just clothing, this rings true with almost anything related to fashion - from makeup to accessories, and even shoes.

Clothes that our generation considers "high-end" usually include brands like Ralph Lauren, Kate Spade, or Fendi. For purses, we're talking Michael Kors, Kate Spade, and Coach. Brands like Adidas, Nike, and Nordstrom are the "it girls" when it comes to shoes. I've come to find that if you don't wear these brands, then you're not considered "trendy," regardless of how good your outfit looks.

The sad thing about this whole issue is that it excludes people who don't have the money to pay for designer clothes. A lot of the "trendy" brands have clothes that are extremely expensive. "Coach" purses, for example, can cost up to $300 or more and anything with a Ralph Lauren logo usually costs at least $190 - with some items breaking the bank at $2,400! There are a lot of people who don't have the money for any of the brands that are considered high-end and this proves that current beauty standards favor people who are rich, rather than from the middle class.

Another problem with beauty being defined by logos is that focusing only on a brand of clothing can completely overshadow one's own fashion sense. It takes away from the whole point of fashion, which is that it should highlight the person who wears it by their uniqueness and individuality rather than by how much money they have.

If I wear an outfit that makes me feel confident and that I consider to be stylish and someone suddenly asks me what brand I'm wearing, if I say it's from Walmart or Target I often notice they lose interest in it - despite the fact that they probably thought it looked stylish at first. It's also probably pretty similar to the clothing items featured by the "trendy" designer brands. At times, this can make me lose confidence or feel ashamed for not wearing a designer brand.

The thing that most people don't realize is that a lot of times, most of the "hot" brands listed above have similar outfits to what you would find at your local Target or Walmart, but with a hefty price tag. Take Ralph Lauren polo shirts, for example. You can easily find a polo shirt at any department store that looks almost the same but is more reasonably priced.

A lot of the trendiest designer brands also don't always put emphasis on comfort. For example, high heels from brands like Normstom are often made with only the appearance of the shoes in mind, without taking comfort into account. But would you seriously want to pay a large sum to wear uncomfortable heels just to reach society's standard of beauty?

I have also found that many people who only focus on the brand of clothing and makeup that they buy often do so to make themselves feel less insecure. However, this often can have the opposite effect. If you wear tons of designer clothes, it's not going to make you feel more confident - especially if the clothes you're wearing don't show off how unique you are or don't highlight your personal style.

If everyone wore the same designer makeup, clothing, and accessories - wouldn't that defeat the whole purpose of picking out an outfit? If we all dressed like each other, no one would have a personal style. If you look back at a lot of fashion trends, most of them started because someone dared to wear clothes that were different and stood out from the norm.

So, instead of focusing only on what brand a person is wearing, we should all focus more on whether what the person is wearing showcases their individuality. If you find yourself going to school or work and constantly noticing others putting emphasis on wearing a specific brand of clothing, don't fall victim to the same trap. If you only focus on wearing certain brands, then you will quickly begin to view fashion as something that is one-sided and centered around uniformity rather than something that is diverse and intended to invoke confidence and self-discovery.