Social norms are sort of a reverse phrase for being different. It isn't technically wrong but it isn't normal to see on a day-to-day basis. For example, wearing leggings on a first date isn't illegal but most people would wear a nice formal outfit. Having social norms is becoming a little less important these days. Everyone is so diverse in so many ways that some people don't even question anything anymore.
When I hear someone say something depressing at school, well first I think "mood," I don't question why they think that way or why they are crying in the middle of the library. Instead, I say, "wanna get Starbucks?" Social norms that still exist are still around because not enough people have broken them. I think they become invisible to us because we ourselves think something isn't "normal." No matter how badly I want to come to school dressed in cosplay, I still feel that fear of judgment. Even though people are doing it, my own fear is there because of past experiences or something I saw on television.
I'm still afraid to speak Spanish sometimes because most people stare at me when I am not speaking English. Just like "She Must Be From Another Country" by Imtiaz Dharker, I knew when they were staring. I knew when my custom wasn't like theirs and the way I dressed. I felt the stares and it uses to bother me a lot worse back then. The more you see the world, whether it's from a smartphone or actually out in the real world, you see the new generations doing a number of things in public that shock people.
If people didn't color their hair in crazy colors then I wouldn't either if I'm being honest. It really is a ripple effect. Soon it turns to waves and eventually you don't even know where the wave began but you're just glad they keep coming. The "original" customs come from a higher power telling us, whether it's the Bible or a celebrity. Someone who has more power will usually set the norms or change them.
I don't go out much and even if I did I am not brave enough to have people purposely stare at me so as an alternative norm that I can possibly break in my own way, I decided to walk my cat. I wanted to try this for a while but didn't feel safe walking her alone so I did so when my siblings were around. At first, they laughed, and then they asked why. She almost escaped with the hardness so I used a collar but after only 10 minutes I didn't feel safe walking her because I live around acres of trees. I implore others to try and break a norm or two in small ways they can. Be a change and see a change.
