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What do you think about when you hear the word normal? What is your definition of said word? Well I’ll tell you the dictionary's definition of normal, “The usual, average, or typical state or condition of something.” If that’s the definition you thought as well then congratulations, however if it wasn’t you need to think about why that is. We have been so persuaded and blinded by our social norms and outrageous beauty standards that we don’t remember how to use a simple word like “normal” correctly. We use it as an insult, and many innocent people get bullied for it.
Is there really such a thing as being normal? I don’t think so. The term normal can mean something different for anyone and everyone. Trying to label someone or put them into one specific category isn’t right, and it’s even worse when they don’t “fit” the category and get harassed for it. The way someone dresses or does their makeup might be normal to them but look weird to you, however that doesn’t give anyone the right to harm others for that. We are highschoolers and young adults, yet I still see and hear about people getting bullied for looking or acting in a way that others don’t particularly find “normal.” As mentioned before, the definition of normal by dictionary is “The usual, average, or typical state or condition of something.” Do we just use this word to offend people without the knowledge of the actual definition?
Normal is such an overused word, and it's foolish how we expect everyone to fit into that one word like our lives depend on it. Many get harassed over this word, and I don’t mean just verbally either. People g et physically bullied as well as publicly humiliated for such a minor thing. If someone isn’t normal it's like this huge crime or sin that they committed and people just think “hey let's punish these innocent people who don't fit into what we think the definition of normal is”, which isn’t right at all.
Our absence of resources is pretty problematic. People need to know that it’s ok to not fit in with the stereotypical beauty standards or social norms. We are lacking the materials people need to feel welcome and great in their own skin. Sure we have things like student groups or even one on one conversations with professionals, however that could just lead to people feeling more like they aren’t “fitting in.” Being called a freak and many more slurs on a daily basis can cause one to feel like they don’t belong, and going to talk about it with other people isn’t always going to cure that feeling.
In essence, a simple word such as normal shouldn’t have such a big effect on people the way it does. Yet here we are in the year 2023 and people are still being made fun of for not wanting to fit into the social norms we have created for ourselves. Our generation is better than this. We have come too far to let outrageous beauty standards and lack of knowledge on definitions pull us back to bad times. We must move forward not backwards, that means encouraging each other not putting each other down.
By Audrieauna Brown
Roosevelt High School
Published February 15, 2023
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