Some of them do it because it’s been bullied into them. My daughter, who used to be very independent (and still is in some ways thankfully), had to be taken out of her middle school because of the bullying and she is constantly asking if it’s weird that she does this or that and I have to keep reassuring her that it doesn’t matter if it’s weird as long as it makes her happy and even though kids will treat her like shit now, when she’s an adult, most people won’t care. The only people who will care are the ones who never grew up.

But yeah, she’s become someone who compares herself to others. Because she’s scared about what they will do to her because she’s different.

She’s actually starting to dress how she wants to dress again instead of trying to look neutral. It’s terrific.