Whenever I see a pair of UGGs, I immediately recount the unreasonably large amount of time I spent wanting a pair as a 12-year-old.

Since I work in a store that partly caters to middle school girls and that style ideal, I now know about all the current school trends. Chokers are what first come to mind because we sell maybe 30 different types, but the trendy part of the store relies on the products that spread like wildfire into every kid’s need for worthless material goods. I write about these trends as if I am above them, but I realize now how reliant I was as a kid.

I asked for UGGs, and I just know that there was no way my mom would spend over one hundred dollars for some shoes I wanted because other people had them. I never begged, but I always knew in my mind that my boots never had that UGG label on the heel like so many other girls’. There were too many items I desperately wanted but never broke down over; I think I always knew that the items were not really worth the cost. A lot of girls had Miss Me jeans and tons of Coach products that never interested me. I never wore Abercrombie or Hollister clothing that was not handed down from my cousin. I never had Sperrys or Wallabees, and I never had any clothing monogrammed. I never had any video games, and I did not get an iPhone until the end of my sophomore year of high school. Though I am honestly proud of getting through school without these trends that I did not personally want or need, it was difficult at the time.

When I was with my friends or just after class at school, there were many occasions when I could not pull out an iPhone and was instead overly conscious about my sliding keyboard phone. I knew I did not need an iPhone, and to this day, I don’t utilize it as much as some. However, it is ridiculous that I felt so awkward about not having these items.

Culture has seemed to change a lot in promoting a more individual style, but there are still so many trends that I’m sure pressure kids who do not quite know themselves yet. At the store, we have puff-ball hair ties, Lokai bracelets, chokers, long beaded necklaces, and flowy shirts that I know girls feel like they have to have.

Though noting this pressure, not all trends are bad; I had a Vera Bradley lunch box throughout school and got Chacos in sixth grade (before anyone else got them, but I still took part in the trend.) It’s not the products that are problematic; it’s the stupid pressure I see everyday and remember to have items one may not want. I even promote trends for the store I work at, presenting them the items that everyone else has though I myself tend to avoid items that are just trendy. I do not have a Kendra Scott necklace or Hunter boots, and I am not in a classic southern sorority. While these trends are perfect for some, they are not perfect for me. I am simply thankful that my mom telling me that I do not need UGG boots and my parents’ recognition that I did not need an iPhone as a middle school student taught me so much.