06.04.2022 10.

23 Clio · Being Different

Being Different
Af
Elisabeth Gamauf Madsen
, Opdateret 26. maj 2021

Geek, burnout, emo. Do these words ring a bell? Maybe

you have used them to label some of your classmates,
or you have been labelled with one yourself. Maybe you
have even chosen to be emo, a punk or a nerd, and feel
proud of it.

Læseguide
1/5

Emo style: It takes courage for a boy to dye his hair black and wear makeup and different
clothing.
Getty Images. ©

Læseguide
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Between Two Seats

Finding your own identity and a place to belong is part of being a teenager. It
is probably the toughest part by far. On the one hand, you long to belong in
a group of like-minded people, but on the other hand, you wish to stand out

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and be recognised as the person

you really are. Keywords
· courage (n.)
It takes a great deal of courage to · identity (n.)
stand out. However, as a teenager, · stand out (v.)
· bullying (n.)
you are at a very sensitive stage in · bystander (n.)
· minority (n.)
your life. This might cause you to
carefully consider whether you dare
to choose a new style of dress or hairdo, try out a new type of sport, or
listen to another kind of music than your friends.

Læseguide
3/5

Finding Your Unique Identity

As a teenager, it is important to experiment with your identity in order to find
out who you really are. The best thing you can do for yourself and your
friends is to create an atmosphere where experimenting is accepted. A
place where no one has to worry about being excluded from the group
because of individual preferences.

Nevertheless, most classrooms are not that accepting towards people who
stand out. Many students fall victim to bullying while in school. Often,
people are bullied due to their appearance or their social status, but there
can be other reasons too. Sadly, many bystanders usually watch and do
nothing because they worry about putting themselves outside the group
too.

Læseguide
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Fear of the
Unknown
There are many ways of being
different; some are easier to hide
than others. Some physical
Some physical differences are differences are a matter of personal
congenital, like being in a wheelchair.
choice, others are congenital. Have
Stokkete/Shutterstock.com ©
you ever caught yourself staring at
the boy in a wheelchair, or the girl
with a limp? They belong to minority groups. Imagine having to deal with

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06.04.2022 10.23 Clio · Being Different

people gazing every day. This is a

Did you know classic example of our fear of
anything that is not mainstream.       
"The person who follows the
crowd will usually go no
According to English studies, the
further than the crowd. The
primary reason for being bullied at
person who walks alone is
school is looks. In 2013, more than
likely to find himself in places
50 percent of students had been
no one has ever seen
abused verbally, physically or online
before."
because of their clothing, weight,
- Albert Einstein height, or hair color. Research shows
that redheads are more likely to be
bullied compared to others.
According to the studies, some teenagers miss months of education to
avoid their tormentor. 

Læseguide
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Eksemplarfremstilling, herunder print eller kopiering af hele eller dele af læringsportalen, er kun tilladt,
hvis institutionen har indgået en aftale med Copydan Tekst & Node, og skal ske inden for denne
aftales begrænsninger.

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