Running head: FIT IN OR STAND OUT?

Fit in or stand out?

Monica A. Arroyo
The University of Texas at El Paso

FIT IN OR STAND OUT?

Young teens are doubtful of what they think, what they want, and who they wish to be in
life. This YouTube video, which was written and directed by KJ Adames and produced by Stella
Davis, shows a young girl (Ruthy Cepada) who, along with others, masks her true identity in
the everyday high school crowd, trying to find the truth (Adames, 2014). When people are not
sure of who they are, they struggle to find who they truly are. Unaware of their true identity and
walking through the halls, an individual is just like any other student wearing the same style of
clothes, listening to the same music, thinking the same things, and trying to be just like others.
In order to clarify what it means to be a teenager, this paper will explain the doubts, second
thoughts, and curiosities of the student mind.
Audience and Purpose
The intended audience is for someone who might barely be starting high school or even
in the late phase of middle school. The high school environment specified the relevance of young
students who try to fit in and feel accepted in society. This video could apply to both male and
female teenagers trying to develop a sense of self-assurance. The objective of this video is
mainly to give a perspective of what is normally seen in the daily high school life and tries to
convince the audience that the best someone could be is their own self. Where students meet peer
pressure and the need to fit in, exists the individual who tries to find herself amongst the others,
regardless of what they want to see or expect. The audience might reflect on the information
presented in this video numerous times before they can actually make their decision on who they
want to be. This video consisted primarily of visuals with a few short lines and quotes. These
lines were not too formal but they were not informal either; rather they require a casual
understanding and sentimental feeling of what a teenagers mind is going through, what they
think on a daily basis, and what they interpret from the teachers and their peers. It is, in fact,

FIT IN OR STAND OUT?

appropriate to the audience of middle school/high school students because they do not have to
necessarily be on terms with or even disagree with these thoughts; being in school allows them to
observe and see this ongoing experience even if they do not feel as if they are experiencing it
themselves. An example of the specialized vocabulary words used in this video would have to be
allegory, trapped, or advantage (Adames, 2014). Although they seem as well-known
terms, there is more significance to these simple words than just the obvious definition; there
exists the deeper essence through which someone can turn those words into an opportunity, an
experience, or an emotion.
Ethos
The student narrating, Ruthy Cepada, is a student amongst others all wearing masks.
Being in the high school environment and also being the age as any other student to who the
message is being directed, she is appropriate for the situation. As she can relate and express
herself throughout the video, one can relate to the feeling of what she acquires from certain
quotes. In one point of the video, a professor is explaining the meaning of Platos allegory of
The Cave (Adames, 2014). Although the professor gains some credibility for being the one
giving the allegory to the students he also loses some credibility; because being in the position
that he is, he was allowed to teach the allegory to the students but it seemed as he was forcing his
input of the message onto them. In other words, because he is the teacher and is assumed to
know all, he was only offering one perspective as if it was the only one that existed. Also
because he is using Plato, a recognized philosopher, it adds credibility whether the topic was
agreeable or not.
Pathos

FIT IN OR STAND OUT?

Due to the human nature of desiring to feel accepted, this emotion that slowly unravels as
students move on during high school follows them until they think they have a sense of
happiness. Students wear a mask, and sometimes more than one, because they do not know who
they are. Society has a certain expectation, and even if the student is not one hundred percent
content with who they are, they convince themselves that they are because they are finally
accepted into a specific group. People struggle with finding themselves, and because of this they
create one if not more different identities. The video shows a different girl walking away from
one group of purple masks and switching over to a group of maroon masks (Adames, 2014).
Trying to feel accepted, people act a certain way and only talk about certain things, limited to
what they truly desire. People who rule the school are the ones in charge, the example that
everyone should follow, and the people that someone wants to be with. As the chess professor
was giving the definition of the pawns in such a degrading manner, automatically allowed to
make someone feel worthless, of little importance, and feel used by the kings and queens
(Adames, 2014). The semi-suspenseful music was also effective in adding to the seriousness of
how much it means to not follow the crowd, to not feel used, and to find the true identity of
oneself.
Logos
This video was primarily visual and contained some phrases. However, there was one
scene of the video in which there was a poster hung on the hallway that read the words This is
what beautiful looks like (Adames, 2014); this scene also shows a few girls crowded around it
wearing the yellow mask as seen on the poster. The weakness in the logical part of this that not
only exists in the video but all around, is that, one individual would not think that they
automatically change perspectives towards who they are by merely seeing a short phrase on the

FIT IN OR STAND OUT?

poster. Then again, this is what society has become. A simple phrase telling everyone what is
acceptable and what is not, is what composes an individuals mind. The poster in the hallway
was effective even though it is a weak phrase. Meaning, the message was not of much
significance, but rather created a strong effect towards the students. Another faulty item that was
presented in this video was when the professor was stating the meaning of The Cave in an
incredibly sure manner. In other words, he had excessive certainty as to what the message meant;
it is possible that another professor would derive another meaning, another message, or even a
completely different story than what was directly presented. This other professor would offer a
different point of view, which could have altered the other students and the young girls, Ruthy
Cepada, way of thinking.
A majority of students will go through the phase of trying to fit in and doing what
everyone else is doing; this stage is inevitable to most. On the other hand, one must not forget
who they truly are. Sometimes students are excessively caught up with the urgent need to feel
accepted that they can actually convert to this person who really is not them. They convince
themselves that they are happy, when they are not. This identity should not be anyone elses
but their own. Societal interactions are also inevitable, but everyone has the option to fit in or
stand out. This video should be seen by students, only to remind them that being different is what
makes an individual. Because of the relatable situation and the strong appeals, this video was
effective. Not only does this video stir up thoughts, but it also gives people a logical sense of the
situation that does not make sense but happens. People see this happen, they experience it, and
they think it is alright to wear a mask. But it is not no more masks, no more hiding who
someone is, no more trying to please people, no more trying to feel accepted in order to happy
its time to stand out.

FIT IN OR STAND OUT?

References
Adames, KJ., Davis, Stella. [Kalhil KJ Adames]. (2012, May 24). Identity SHORT
FILM (Award
Winning Inspirational Short) [Video File]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=ikGVWEvUzNM&index=1&list=FLA2XAe2qyWHD3DUBj08uhCA.