High School Cliques

There are a very high amount of cliques in high schools throughout the United States. Many teenagers believe the only way to be recognized is to be in with the popular crowd. How can cliques be regulated so that the people who do not fit in are not traumatized for the rest of their lives? There are many factors that bring out cliques in high schools, some are based on wealth, style, race, and interest. But in many cases there are cliques that are mixtures of these types. In my opinion, they all can be very demeaning.

Economic status is often a big factor in cliques. Realistically, rich and the poor do not go hand in hand. The children of wealthy people look down on people that are poor. Cliques divide people through "class." It seems like if your family's bank account isn't off the charts you cant be friends with other people whose families are. Money isn't everything. Therefore these kids are missing out on opportunities to get to know other kids that might be just as fun to hang out with but just not blow all their money.

Fashion is another huge aspect of high school cliques. Nearly every high school girl dresses like a supermodel. They wear tight fitting jeans with belts and jewelry and a matching shirt from stores like Abercrombie and Fitch, Hollister and American Eagle. Boys, too, tend to feel the pressure to dress from these same stores. They will wear a tight muscle shirt or loose fitting jeans just to fit in. The media influences all of these styles. Magazines, television shows, and especially MTV, influence teens on style. For example, a popular television show like, Dawson's Creek, advertises for American Eagle by having all their actors model their clothing.

Cliques are also formed by race. Far too many times people exclude others because of their skin color. I realize that people tend to have more in common with people of similar heritage. This is no reason to exclude others just because of their skin color. As sad as it is to admit the White students were at one table, Black ones at another and the Hispanic kids tend to sit at other tables as well. People should try to regulate this by having people with different races and/or backgrounds within the same group. For example a group can consist of Whites, Blacks, Asians, and Latinos instead of just one or the other. This way new things can be learned from other cultures and backgrounds.

The most well know clique in high school is the everyday most popular clique. This clique is a cross between the well off, athletes and the most fashionable. They are known and labeled throughout every high school as the "cool kids," but in actuality tend to be pretty smart but actually kind of bad. Normally they get away with everything and anything