Labels are important. We have labels to tell when the milk is expired, or that you shouldn’t put that shirt in the dryer. Clothing is labelled by size, and toxins are labelled by the fact that they will probably kill us. These labels are useful, if not vital, to live our lives in the best way possible. We understand and accept this as normal, as done with most routine things.

As humans, we have always made an effort to label ourselves. In fact, we constantly continue to create more labels. Your sexuality? We’ve got it covered! Questioning gender? Here’s a list of possibilities! We are marked by our country of origin, skin color, beliefs, morals, and the list only goes on. We tend to treat this artificial categorizing process as something necessary. Meanwhile, we convince ourselves that each one of us is different and unique in our own special way. It’s hypocritical, really.

“Welcome to the human race. Each person is different and beautiful, and we need to accept that. Now, go stand over there with the rest of Group B.”

The reason we use labels in the first place is simple. Everyone wants to feel like they belong. No one enjoys feeling like an outsider. So, we cling to meaningless adjectives, grasping for a sense of belonging. It’s the same reason we follow horoscopes. And unfortunately, it’s the same reason we spend hours taking online personality quizzes when we’re supposed to be doing, well, anything and everything that isn’t a personality quiz.

By doing so, we are focusing on and encouraging over-analysis of ourselves. With more acceptance nowadays in the realm of sexuality, gender identity, et cetera, the force only becomes stronger. As we become more open-minded, we are simultaneously adding pressure to conformity. If one didn’t previously identify as one thing or another, now we’ve added labels to cover the in-between places. Not only does this limit freedom of identity, but it puts pressure on us to conform. It gives more opportunity for stereotypes and standards.

Especially in Internet culture, new ways to identify oneself are being brought up. It’s not a matter of acceptance. (On many sites, if you’re a closed-minded bigot, you’ll be called out on it in a number of minutes.) It is a matter of making sure you fit in — becoming a part of the crowd so that you can use your voice and have people listen. With so many social benefits to giving into labels, it’s easy to see why we do. The biggest issue is on a personal level. For adolescents, growing up is a race to find themselves. And for those who cannot reach the endpoint in their journey, it often becomes a life of discomfort and low self-esteem.

Our society has evolved in terms of acceptance, but we haven’t actually progressed. People who were shunned in the past continue to be shunned now. Only, instead of being turned away because of a preference, feeling, or decision, they’re ostracized for not wanting to assign a label to themself.

Society is telling us, “Oh, you feel that way? All right, that’s called ____! Now you fit in with us!” However, when we disagree with this force, it becomes, “Uh, OK. Freak,” or, “No, no, you just don’t understand! You belong over here, in this strict, specific category of people who described themselves using the same words that you did!”

This unfortunate development of society causes more stress on (primarily) teenagers who are struggling to find out who they are. Ignorant peers are still unaccepting, while many of those who are “accepting” don’t understand the concept of living without labelling. Lying awake at night thinking about what word defines you is something we’ve all likely experienced. It’s never a good feeling. It’s stressful, confusing, and can be discreetly shameful.

We are humans. Homo sapiens. Closer classification is unnecessary. Each individual is what they feel.