Why do we Fear Deviating from the Old Beaten Path

 A central theme in Marge Piercy's, "Barbie Doll" poem is the idea that women give up themselves in order to fit into the standards and expectations of society. I find this to be true for males as well, especially in the adolescent and early adulthood years. 

As a society, if we deviate from the normal, we are often seen as an outcast or weird. Let's unpack this idea. Firstly I think this (outcast) happens due to the insecurity of the majority. If someone else is doing something different, it could mean they're doing it better or are better. In an effort to prevent that, society puts these people down so that they themselves stay on top. Second, not many people deviate from the normal because of this fear which I also believe stems from the lack of confidence in oneself. Where does this lack of confidence stem? 

Perhaps it comes from today's social media culture where one posts the highlights of their lives while followers then compare themselves to this standard. Of course not everyone is always living on a high and thus attaining this standard is an unrealistic goal. While comparing their life to that of the model on Instagram, they see that they don't stack up lowering their self-esteem in the process. This because a viscous cycle of comparison, disappointment, lowered self-esteem and going back to social media to try and get dopamine hits in the form of instant gratification. 

Perhaps this lack of self-esteem in society stems from the shortcomings of the educational system. Too often students are told what to think rather than how to think. They are told what to memorize, what to study and what is right and wrong. If one is not able to think for themselves instead always relying on someone else to tell them the answers, how will they be able to trust their own thoughts? Their gut instinct? This lack of trust leads to lower confidence which means a person doesn't have a strong foundation in order to withstand the turbulence provided by society in the form of verbal poison.