There are two main types of rules: spoken rules and unspoken rules. You would think that people would tend to follow the known rules and, dude to the fact they aren’t spoken, accidentally break the unspoken ones. In my experience i have found this to be the opposite. Sure people follow rules they know,but when they aren’t convenient and the consequences aren't too severe, they break them. Unspoken rules are the ones it really takes courage to break, since there can tend to be a social backlash; however with this type, it isn't necessarily a bad thing to break the rules.

Some unspoken rules, particularly applying to teenage girls, are wearing makeup is important, but some people take it too far. Still better to overdo it than under do it.
2. Hair straightening. It’s weird if you don’t straighten your hair.
3. Girls who date multiple people, or people too close together are s***s, guys who do it are heros
4. Colored hair or tattoos make you unprofessional.
5.you can only post a photo in your bathing suit with a family member. Except if you are an upperclassman. In this case “keep up the body positivity!!”
6. Fitting in is better than being yourself

The list could go one, but really what's the point. These rules are unspoken; there  isn’t even proof anyone believes them(aside from the fact they are frequently followed). But why not break the mold and make your own set of rules. Instead of worrying about posting too many or too few selfies, post one if you want to. Don’t obsess over the clothes you are wearing and what others think, dress your body in a way that makes you comfortable. I wish i could provide examples of unspoken rules that other demographics must follow, however, that would be nearly impossible since these rules differ from person to person. Unless you’ve faced the embarrassment when you break a rule, you simply don’t know that it exists.

And this embarrassment can be harsh. Maybe you are wondering why social punishment is just as bad as jail time for breaking the other type of rules, and it's not. But most would rather to have their phone taken away for the day that be the person who wore neon green on “goth day”. I however, take pride in being unique and different. I'm not saying to go and disrespect “goth day” but if you don’t own that much black, that's okay, you can be you and wear neon green. I’m not even suggesting going out of your way to be unique, I think you should do what makes you happiest. WHether you are happy when reading a book,  going for a run, or playing video games. It is what makes you you and should be celebrated.

We could simply voice all of these rules that prevent people from feeling comfortable in their own skin or create a google doc shared with everyone they apply to; that way we are all on the same page. But i have a better idea. Lets acknowledge these rules and cast aside the ones that are only there to exclude and isolate people simply for being who they are. For example, I think we should continue to respect the rule of “let a girl know if she has a lollipop stuck to her butt” thank you to the random stranger who alerted me to this. But maybe it's time to look past the “On wednesday’s we wear pink” type of group mentality that truly doesn’t do much good. If you want to wear pink on Wednesdays, go for it, you probably look great; but if pink isn’t your color or the idea of buying enough pink (not salmon) shirts to keep some variety in your wardrobe is daunting to you, wear whatever color you want.