Ask Fashion Girl

DearWilliam:

You are different, and when you're different, it's a little hard to fit in with the crowd. Most boys either don't care anything for fashion or pretend they don=EDt, and just throw on jeans and a t-shirt. Caring about the way you look is stereotyped as being a gay thing in high school, but anyone who really knows fashion knows there are top designers who are not gay! And look at the actors in Hollywood who make style statements at every awards show. It=EDs not like they=EDre all gay. However, you are going to stand a bit of teasing until you get out into the Real World where your fashion sense will become a huge asset. Someday your girlfriends are going to be totally thrilled because you like shopping and take an interest in your appearance. Your dating quotient is going to go way up. Girls love a guy who likes fashion and takes care of himself! This is what you have to look forward to.

Meanwhile, high school can be rough. You're a little more advanced than your peers, and they won't understand you. I think you have to forget about connecting with people about fashion or clothing or style and concentrate on connecting with people on other levels, such as on a school project, in a school club, or via mutual tastes in music or movies. I suggest getting more into what makes you the same as everyone else and thinking less about what makes you different. I don=EDt think you have to change the way you dress, but you should focus instead on reaching out to people in ways, and through activities, that take the focus off differences and put it on similarities.

Congratulations on being a fashionable guy, and remember, things WILL get better!

Sincerely, Fashion Girl