On Popularity (From Watford Observer)

On Popularity

3:53pm Tuesday 15th September 2009 in Connections

The new school year started last week, and despite myself I couldn’t help but compartmentalise the new girls that came to the first Girl About.

Largely there are three groups. You have the girls at the top of the food chain. Let’s call them Group A. They will have something about them that gets them instant recognition. They will be prettier, be wearing the latest style, even at 11- have their make-up and hair groomed neatly, or they will have gained acceptance by fighting their way in. By having a temperament that simply says ‘don’t mess.’ Then you have Group B. Group B will still have a certain respect. They will either be ignored or partially accepted by Group A. They will have their own conducts, and still retain some style. People in Group B tend to gain acceptance by being smart, the top set kids sticking together. Or they are the sporty types. Group B tends to have something which holds them together, some common grouping ground.

Then sadly, you have Group C. Group C does not have access to the beauty of anomity, or the grounds of acceptance. They are deemed as ‘different.’ For these girls, Upper School will not be a fun place. I know this, because I was in this group, before re-emerging as a Group A girl in year 10, due to dating a Group A guy. (Roll the credits for She’s All That.) We set some ground rules last week as to how we should treat each other, and all three groups contributed many ideas, which are simply summed up as: ‘No bitchiness, No mean-ness, Treat everyone as equal.’ In a place which is structured by popularity, I was blessed to know that at the heart of it all, these girls have compassion and a common need for acceptance. That if, for half an hour on a Tuesday lunchtime there are no clicks, no groupings and just genuine sisterhood, then I am very privileged to be there. Roll on another year.