Our whole life we have seen the stereotypical mean girl portrayed in movies and books. We anticipated high school as a little microcosm filled with exclusive cliques and tyrannical “populars”, but is that the reality?
Lunch at San Luis Obispo High School is filled with a diverse number of groups and people. Being on campus at lunch can often cause a feeling of loneliness if you don’t have a group that makes you feel welcome. Are people aware that they radiate a feeling of exclusiveness, or is it subconscious?
When sophomore Clea Wendt was asked if cliques were a problem at SLOHS, she responded with, “Yes, I feel that people are afraid to go out of their comfort zones and they just stick to one group of people.”
When students are insecure they are more likely not to leave their specific clique or friend group in fear that they won’t find anyone else.
High school is stressful enough with demanding classes and the ever looming pressure of college, and the last thing students need is the stress of fitting in. Teenage years are often filled with insecurities that are only intensified by trying to conform to the social norm.
“Cliques are one hundred percent a problem; they are annoying and they make people feel bad about themselves,” said junior Rylie Norby.
Cliques often morph from sports teams, various clubs, ethnicity, and much more. For some, the stress of selective cliques and friend groups makes school insufferable; when friends should be one of the redeeming factors of going to school.
“I used to be in a clique until I realized that they were very exclusive and mean to everyone who wasn’t in the clique, so I decided I didn’t want to be part of that anymore,” said junior Emily Lemierre.
This is supposed to be a time when people are focusing on their school work and future, it shouldn’t be wasted on wondering whether or not your so called “friends” will approve of you. Cliques are an inevitable part of high school, but we should all make an effort to have SLOHS be a more inclusive and inviting environment.
