I make everyone believe that I like to be different, but really I just don't know how to fit in
When I was 9 and first moved to the United States from England, all I wanted to do was wear the same thing as everybody else in order to fit in and be accepted by people at school.
My mom, however, refused to let me conform. Occasionally we'd go to the mall and she'd buy me an Esprit jumper which looked sufficiently like the exact same Esprit jumper that about twenty other girls in my class had. Most of the time though, my wardrobe would only be updated when we'd visit England to see my grandmother and go to the Oilily shop in Brighton.
There she would proceed to buy me pink dresses with tropical flowers, lime green tights, and multicoloured shirts, all of which I'd return home from school wearing, crying my eyes out, ripping off and swearing I'd never go to school in them again.
By the time I was 12, however, and I'd become sort of immune to being the most strangely dressed girl in school, a TV show called Blossom became popular. Blossom was famous for wearing colourful dresses, tights, and big hats.
All of a sudden everyone at school was telling me how cool my clothes were because I looked like Blossom. Unfortunately, though, by that time I had to move back to England where no one knew who Blossom was and start the whole process again.
Back then I resented my mom for putting me through all that but now I thank her because it taught me not to be afraid of being different. I still shiver a little though when someone mentions Oilily.
