Cliques
Popular/goth/geek/loner? What are cliques and why do they exist anyway?
What?
Cliques are small exclusive social groups of friends, sharing common traits or interests (be this based on music, dress, sport etc.) There are usually hierarchies of cliques among teens, from the popular group to the losers. Virtually everyone is part of a group during their teens, even those who see themselves as loners will be grouped together by onlookers.
"I was in-between really - not a geek or anything but also not really popular," explains Julia. "I was happy in the group I was in but I hate it how people are automatically put into a group. I was so glad when I left school because I could be who I wanted to be."
Types of clique
- Popular: The cool group, the most 'attractive' by Hollywood standards, athletes and cheerleaders. Seen as mainstream airheads by other groups. Girls tend to be blonde and wear pink.
- Arty intellectuals: Not quite geeks as they have the whole boho thing going on, this lot tend to be (or pretend to be) oblivious of the whole clique system and spend lunches discussing philosophy, strolling around galleries or reciting poetry.
- Stoners/ slackers: Baggy clothes, blim burns, nicotine stains, scruffy long hair and an ability to have whole conversations compiled of quotes from slacker movies. They want to be everyone's friend but the feeling's not mutual.
- Freaks/ Goths: Head to toe black and eyeliner galore, scarily huge boots, and the look of the zombie about them, they scare off other cliques who fear the may bite them. Loners: Prefer life on the outside or maybe everyone else prefers them on the outside. Think Christian Slater in Heathers.
- Drifters: No set group, drifters split their time with all the other cliques, and mostly get on with everyone. Easy going and fairly 'normal'.
- Geeks/ nerds: While the net has suddenly got cool and techies are more likely to don club wear, listen to techno and take lots of drugs than have cheese and wine evenings, the short-trousered geek stereotypes still exist, while the new techies have become the 'cyber clique'. Brain boxes and swots usually get pushed in here too, but only those that wear bottle-top glasses.
Where?
Cliques aren't restricted to schools, they can often be found in the workplace, as teams gang up against each other. However at college and university inter-group hostility is usually low to non-existent, as the boundaries tend to blur and fade.
The upside
Cliques provide:
- A sense of belonging to their members;
- A source of support;
- Protection from other cliques;
- Boosts to members' self-esteem by making them feel wanted.
The downside:
- Cliques can become guarded and hostile to outsiders. One of the ways cliques reinforce themselves is by putting down whoever isn't in with them, using teasing, taunting, and violence;
- They can leave you devoid of individuality and prevent you mixing with people outside your group. Cliques often require some uniformity among members-in appearance, in attitude, or in behaviour-to distinguish their group from other people and from other cliques and reject anyone who is different;
- They can make you act differently from normal in an effort to fit in;
- They can dump you at the drop of a hat, leaving you isolated and vulnerable.
How to avoid clique pressure:
- Shop around. Make close friends with people because of who they are and not which group/ label they come under;
- Boost your self-esteem so that you can stand up for yourself, keep your individuality and avoid doing things you don't want to;
- Enjoy yourself. Where is the fun in spending your whole social life constantly in fear that you will be ousted from your group for doing the wrong thing? Be yourself, and if your mates don't like it, they aren't true friends.
