Beech Tree News Network

The “look at me” culture is alive and well.  And it’s everywhere! I understand individuality and being unique.  These days, individuality and uniqueness is pretty much looking like you’ve looked most of your life.  I get why kids dye their hair or whatever.  They’re expressing their individuality.  Read this next paragraph carefully.
Twenty years from now, maybe even five or ten, you’ll look at selfies that you and your friends have taken and might think “what in the ___ was I thinking”? Hey, I have some of those.  Mine are just plain pictures of me in elementary, middle and high school, though.  I know certain people who might read this who are thinking, and maybe even saying aloud “people are just being themselves.  Back off”. 
Now I guess we’ve established my old-man-ness.  Hey, about 15 or so years ago, I figured I’d try something new.  I thought, “I’ll stand out to women if I spiked my hair”.  I know, stupid.  And that’s exactly how I looked.  I looked in the mirror.  I saw it.  Thank God there are no pictures. The girl who cut my hair said she liked it. It was actually her suggestion. I didn’t understand back then that people serving you in a restaurant, cutting your hair, working in retail, etc, will say whatever it takes to make a sale.  Back in the day, I was your everyday sucker. 
Individuality and uniqueness can be found in other ways than purple and gold hair and nose-rings.  That, however, is a learned trait.  It’s a rite of passage, if you will.  Call it growing pains, if you like.  And now I have the Growing Pains theme song in my head.  By the way, could be that person with purple and gold hair is a Lakers fan.  Take pity.  Lakers fans are having a hard enough time these days.