Extra Credit (T-Shirt) Post

Wearing my shirt on Monday was an interesting experience. I was actually really afraid of wearing it, for reasons unrelated to school, but I am the "bad" student who did it specifically for the extra credit. I have no problem admitting it either, seeing as up until Monday I was not a transcendentalist supporter. That doesn't mean I don't believe in being myself, it just means that I feel there are specific conformities for a reason and without these conformities than society would be lawless and people, sensitive people, would get hurt emotionally. Not only that, but there are specific social boundaries in society. Many of these boundaries we as teenagers test, and many of these boundaries keep me from getting what I want, but they are set for reasons of keeping peace and normality.
When I came to school on Monday morning I was weary to take my coat off, but I did and I went to Mr. P's class. English was no problem considering over half of the class was also in homemade t-shirts, but leaving to go to math I was worried what other people would think. I was happily surprised by the reaction from the other students, they thought it was one of the coolest things that our "homework" assignment was make a shirt dedicated to self expression. One kid on the way from my Spanish class actually asked if he could buy mine!
I was most worried because of the heart on my t-shirt. On my black shirt, a big red heart stood out like a sore thumb with ROMANTIC written in big white letters. People kept asking me why it was hard for me to put it on the shirt, and I couldn't even respond to that without being embarassed. I have never claimed myself higher than other teenage girls, but I typically am not the type to waiver in front of the...opposite sex if you will. But having this on my shirt meant something to me because of one person that would be seeing it in particular. It seems strange how it only takes one persons opinion to change a persons mind, but the fact that I almost didn't put this on my shirt due to one person is proof that it happens.
By the end of the day Monday, I felt I truly understood what Emerson and Thoreau had meant about being yourself. Even though everyone at South was more that happy to be understanding, if they hadn't it was still one of the most librating feelings wearing my shirt that told the world that I, a 15 year old girl, was still terrified of the dark. I finally feel like I understand what the true meaning of transcendentalism is, and I am so glad that I took part in this extra credit. You can be insanely different, or just like the other people around you. As long as it is the legitimate you and you are happy with it then you are an individual, and that is what transcendentalism is all about.