It’s cliché, but completely true – teenagers want to be unique. In a world where they are force fed pop music and brand name clothing, high school students are looking for a way to stand out. For some, this means filling their iPod with indie rock or dying their hair an unnatural color. A less dramatic approach, however, is jewelry. For Freshman Sydney Wells, this is her way of setting herself apart.
Adorning both wrists are bracelets of every color. Wells owns about thirty, and has made fifteen or so herself.
“Some of them are braided. Some of them I just make knots in them over and over,” Wells said.
She also uses a method that is similar to making a “4” in the string over and over. This is a popular way of creating bracelets among teenagers, particularly at HHS. Any number of colors can be used and how thick the product ends up being is up to the creator. It is popular for many students to make them for themselves or their friends.
“I make some of them the colors of my favorite sports teams, or matching ones I make for me and my friends,” Wells said.
Besides handmade bracelets, she also has several that she bought. Wells splits them between both of her wrists with no system to the placement, just pure aesthetic value. She began her collection with a “boy bracelet” from Hollister about two years ago and has been wearing bracelets ever since.
Wells acquires a new piece of jewelry every week or two, more often if she makes them herself. Her favorite is one which her sister made for her out of cloth. When asked how long she planned to keep her bracelets on, Wells responded that she plans to keep them on for a long time.
“Well until cheerleading ‘cause I have to take them off,” Wells said.