Comedian Steve Martin used to do a bit at his comedy shows where he made all the audience stand up together and simultaneously recite The Nonconformists Pledge. All together now:
I will be my own person!
I will think my own thoughts!
I will make my own decisions!
Then he would tell the entire audience to sit down. And of course they did it. As a group. In unison.

This joke illustrates a truth that has existed for as long as people have: people follow trends. They take their cues from others. This isn't a new thing. Whether it's bobby sock and poodle skirts, or bell bottoms and peace signs, trends are a part of life. They dictate our image of out world and ourselves.

Even when we resolve to be unique and to not conform to the opinions and ideas that others tell us to have, the fact is that trends dictate what is around us. Our opinions and ideas are influenced by the music, television, books, fashions, and films that are trendy. It's impossible to escape their influence. But why? Why do we let others tell us what to do, see, hear and think?

People are and always have been social creatures. We all crave a sense of belonging to a group. Therefore we seek out other people. However, most of use aren't aware that just by being around other people, we're laying the groundwork for a trend to start. Deep in our brains are things called “mirror neurons”. In the late 1980's a scientist at the University of Parma in Italy discovered that if one monkey watched another monkey pick up a nut, its brain imitated the action as if the first monkey had picked up the nut. Humans have the same mechanism. If you poke your tongue out at a baby the baby will do the same thing back. This is mirror neurons at work. From the time we're born we are hard wired to imitate what we see. Therefore if we see a clothing style around a lot, or hear a particular song on the radio, our instinct is to imitate it. Thus, a trend is born.

People have often accused teens of being the biggest followers of trends- changing what's in style faster than anyone can keep up. It's true that the teens are a time when the personality and self identity is being defined in most people. In order to figure out who that are and what their tastes are they experiment. If one thing doesn't seem right, they try something else. If they see others trying something, the instinct to imitate can take over. Also keep in mind that one trend often leads to another. For example, if a certain singer is popular with teens, those teens are more likely to imitate that singers style of dress. Therefore a music trend leads to a fashion trend.

Following trends isn't necessarily a bad thing. But it's important to remember that it's not the be all and end all of life. Many teens feel like if they don't dress the right way or listen to the right music and watch the right television shows they will be abandoned by their friends. Likewise they feel the need to hide the fact that they like something that isn't considered “cool”. Perhaps it's important to remember that people who like us based only on the celebrities we like aren't our real friends to begin with!

Likewise some people are willing to risk their health and safety to follow a trend. In recent years teens have flocked to tanning beds, risking skin cancer to get golden brown skin. Is the reward (a tan and perhaps a few compliments) really worth the risk? Few people would say that it is. Yes, people do have a certain hard wired instinct to follow trends, but like all instincts, that can be overcome. We also have a certain degree of common sense that we can use to decide if a trend is worth following.

There is some truth to the idea that teens are big followers of trends. But this statement is missing an important fact. While teens may follow trends, they also create them. Who are the people who teens try to imitate? Usually it's other teens. A few years ago when Gossip Girl debuted, a lot of teen girls wanted to look like the characters on the show- who were also teenagers. Thus they started wearing headbands and ballet flats. From the Gossip Girl cast to the Twilight cast to Miley Cyrus, to Justin Bieber teens are inspired by other teens and young adults.