betty and the not-so-subtle art of copycatting

cop·y·cat (n.) informal - one that closely imitates or mimics another

They say that imitation is the highest form of flattery; that if someone copies you it should be taken as a compliment of crown accord. Perhaps the herds of sheep gagging to dress/talk/look/be like the kewwwlest person you know should give the aforementioned awesome guy/gal tingling feelings of bashfulness and unadulterated power. This would suggest that the concrete embodiment of flattery is having your very own dupe be stuck to you like a shadow. However, the truth is that it's actually pretty annoying - something that matches irritation levels of having gum residue still glued to the sole of your shoe despite the absence of the actual gum itself.

But first, let me get something straight: there is a huge difference between being inspired by an individual, or buying the same clothes as your friend and actually attempting to become a reincarnation of the person whom you so idolise. As human beings we absorb the energies of those whom we admire and feed off of their auras in order to incorporate what's so great about others into ourselves. It is only in our nature to want to improve our own semblances in the mirror of others so that we too are as kind and cool and intelligent as them. Yet that's where we should draw the line, for in an age of distinctiveness what's the use in becoming a sheep? I noticed it a lot when I was in rural-surburban America over the summer: everyone dresses the same. Why?

I'm also not saying that I'm copied a lot - which I'm not at all, like if you want to copy the clothes I wear/the music I listen to/the ways in which I choose to spend my free time I assure you that you're setting yourself up for a lifetime of uncoolness - but, yes, I will put my hands up and say this post was created with the intention of being biographical of a certain someone (who, of course, shall remain utterly anonymous). And I guess if said person, let's call her Betty, was just modelling herself off of myself this post could (and maybe it does, and if it does I'm truly sorry) come off as bitchy and conceited but when Betty's copying everything from her dialect and lingo to the shoes on her feet from different people, I gotta step in and be all "Betty, don't be a wasteman".

In a social media age it's easy to masquerade as someone you're not. It's now easier than ever for clones to thrive in a world that's now online and exposed for all to see; it's a breeding ground for copycats. For example, it's gotten to the point where Betty will copy social media posts word for word and pass them off as her own pioneering thought when it's not and that's just so not chill. Haven't you ever heard of plagiarism, Betty? Didn't your English teacher ever tell you that if words are not your own that you must place them in quotation marks? Honestly Betty, it's really pissing me off. I've never heard you mention that band that girl in your class loves that you claim to be so "proud" of, or used phrases like "pixie aesthetic" (whatever the fuck that is) before you started following that other girl. Why can't you be happy being you? I'm not saying to not follow the latest trends or to not listen to "mainstream" music, but when your whole personality isn't actually true to yourself, then you know there's a problem. Because there's nothing wrong with conforming to a type, but just don't let that type become you.

The book I'm currently reading is a gorgeous Japanese novel called Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami. It's enchanted me so much that I've breezed through a lot of it in less than a day and as I sat reading today, a particular quote stood out like a sore thumb (and ohhhh the irony, honestly):

"If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking."

I think it really emphasises how important it is to be true to yourself in a world so bland and full of bandwagons. Go outside and think about stuff and issues and everyday life; don't listen to what the media or your Twitter feed tells you - how do you think the world can be improved? Could you be a pioneer of your generation? I promise you that you can if you take the words of Murakami into your stride and quit doing what everyone else is doing and have a little bit of thought for yourself.

It's sad that it seems that some people feel that to be happy in life that they must live it through the lives of someone else - through someone else's creative outlet, or choice of literature, or way they style their hair - when the person they truly are has the potential to be groundbreakingly amazing. As the human race is unfortunately just that - a race - it doesn't take much to slip into the blur and mists of being the same as everyone else and end up joint last.

I guess in a blog which usually attempts to influence the opinion and taste of it's readers, to turn that back around and say "hey, stop copying me you little fuckass" seems highly hypocritical and a lil bit mean. However, I think the point of this was not to disparage people from becoming a sheep (though that is something you should think about avoiding) but rather encourage even just one person to step away out of the shadow of someone else. You were born out of original DNA, there is no one else on Earth quite like you. We're not all American Apparel zombies, embrace that.