As Christmas nears, many will be buying gifts for their loved ones, many of which will consist of clothing items and other accessories. All together, name brand is requested more often than not by teenagers, but why?

Due to the holidays, brands are going to push their sales and more and more kids are going to buy what is in style. Christmas wish lists are filled with many name brand items like Nike, Under Armor, American Eagle, Hollister, etc. These stores may have sales, but they are still pricey, especially when people are buying multiple articles of clothing from them. Buying an American Eagle shirt can be double the price in comparison to other stores that have clothing for half of the price.

“I do think [name brand clothing] can be more expensive; like, Nike isn’t outrageous but Supreme and Gucci are,” junior Noah Spanos said.

Social media can also put pressure on teenagers to buy name brand because people with a large following are often found wearing name brand clothing. When teens look at these influencers, they often want to mirror the image they put online, therefore, these teenagers are buying what is commonly put online.

When there are many students in school wearing name brand clothing, this influences other students to buy products from name brand stores as well, even if they don’t like the store or the article of clothing. “Fitting in” puts pressure on students in high school, so much that they abandon their individuality and follow what trends have been set. It is difficult for high school students to avoid conforming to a certain style because it is easier to be the same, as opposed to standing out. In a high school environment, there is a great amount of judgement, especially when students are surrounded by the same people everyday.

“I feel if I don’t have name brand clothing I will not fit in with my peers that I hang around. If I don’t have name brand clothing I will certainly be judged by many of my peers,” sophomore Johnna Adams said.  

Students also feel the pressure to have the best looks in comparison to their peers. People want to look better and be more stylish than their friends and most students that are in school.

“[Name brand clothing] makes for more of a competition for who has the newest style. It pulls everyone to compete for the latest look which makes them dress similar [to each other],” Adams said.

There are some students that simply enjoy name brand clothing and feel that the clothes fit their style.

“I personally don’t feel pressured to buy name brand clothing because it’s what my style is and I’m comfortable wearing it,” senior Ethan Paxton said.

Name brand clothing all together is pressuring teens to make purchases from these stores in order to compete amongst their peers to see who has the best style. Name brand clothing is much more expensive compared to the more basic stores and also can cause people to conform to one type of style. If students can find their own style and choose to dress the way that they truly want to then they will be able to be more confident and happier with the clothes that they wear.