So I tossed my khakis, sweater vests and penny loafers. Too preppy. I felt like people didn't take my radical ideas seriously since my dress was so conservative.

But it irked me. Why didn't people understand that my clothes didn't reflect my inner thoughts? And it made me wonder, is it possible to get dressed without worrying about what people might think of you?

You'd have to be pretty secure with yourself to accomplish that. And many teens just aren't that secure, so they feel pressure to act and look a certain way. Many of us feel like we're not as good as the person wearing clothes with Abercrombie and Fitch or Calvin Klein labels. And then there's the social labels that come with some clothes. A girl wears a low-cut top, and just like that, she's a slut. She might just like the style, but she gets labeled without her actions being considered. Totally unfair.

And what about guys? They might have it a little easier when it comes to fashion. There's not nearly as much pressure on guys to dress a certain way. But say a guy wears tight jeans and a silk shirt. Do you automatically think, gay?

Dress has become so important that one of the worst school shootings in the history of this country revolved around an article of clothing. The Trenchcoat. Two teens, who were part of the so-called Trenchcoat Mafia, killed 13 people and themselves last year at Columbine High School in Colorado. Now, trenchcoats have been banned from schools around the country. 

Makes you wonder just how important clothes are. Or are we totally overlooking the fact that clothes don't make a person? 

The person does.

We should not judge each other by what we wear. Clothing should be considered just one small piece of a person's character. You can dress to fit your mood, the weather, a season or event.

You can express yourself with your clothing, but you don't have to let your duds define you, says Heather Gray, author of Real Girls, Real World, a book about girls and their self-image.

"Have fun with it," Gray advises. "Have freedom around fashion. Dress in a way that expresses yourself. Be true to yourself."

Good advice. Maybe those khakis aren't so bad, after all.