Labeling, do you agree with it? I'm always hearing "don't use labels! support the individual" and people going against the grain and saying labeling shouldn't exist or be forced upon people.

Most labeling comes from the reason that if someone wears the same clothes as someone else, they are part that group. What ever "that group" is. Most people I've spoken to dislike being labelled as they think it mean's people think they are sheep and it takes away their individuality.

The thing about it is that everyone is a fashion sheep to someone. It's knowing who are the real sheep that people need to learn. When people wear baggy pants and t-shirts, they're called moshers and sheep because they dress alike. Mosher though is a person who... well... moshes. It's not a dress sence, but people not into the music scene where moshing is a custom, branded it to all who dress that way, thus forever creating a brand and what is a brand? A group that dresses the same, which then makes them 'sheep' by outsiders. Anyone who is not familiar with a style, can't distinguise a substyle from that group. Here's an example using music:

A pop fan cant tell the difference between death metal and nu-metal, thus to him/her its just metal. So to him/her, all people who listen to music that, to them, sounds the same, want to be the same. Even though it's not true.

It's like, if you dont know much about snakes, you're scared of them and think they're all the same, poisonous and dangerous. But once you get to know a little, you realise they're not. Same with fashion types and inviduals. After all, we cant all dress different, as we only have a certain amount of clothing that is acceptable these days. So people who try to get away from the sheep label, dress in things that are seen as stupid or freaky and thus get labelled as goths or freaks or punks etc by society. Something which they are trying to avoid, so they can't win. Fact is, labeling will always exist and everybody is guilty of it, even those against it.

I often use groups such as "goths" and "chavs" during conversation, as most people will get what I mean. It's better than going into detail explaining them, after all if you do that during a conversation reffering to a group that way, you'll end up boring the people you are talking to. Unless of course they ask for details like that.

I think grouping helps people set others apart from them. It's like if you're looking for a certain type of music, it's easier if your type of music had its own section. Easier to find.

Same with people. Lot's of people feel like loners in life and often wear certain clothes of act and do certain things as they want to be a part of something. Part of a family. Maybe because they dont like their real family and feel outcast, or maybe because they feel that to be part of their real family, they should act a certain way. They long for acceptance.

Others just do is as a trend. they want to be "hip", complimented on. Be part of "all the rage". They want to be part of whats "in" and do what others tell them to. these are the real sheep, wannabes.

Then there's the individual who just dresses the way he/she wants. It just so happens that theres a group for everything he wears and does. No matter how hard you try to be different, you're always going to end up classed in a group for reasons explained above.

We are never gonna be seperate from groups. We'll always be english, irish etc. We'll always be male or female. We'll always be black, white, asian etc. same with other groups.We're either one or the other.

Groups arent going anywhere, so all I can say is, keep in mind they are groups, then subgroups from them, then sub-subgroups. It gets complicated, but hey, thats life. Just get on with you life and remember, just because someone labels you, doesn't make you any less of an individual.