Grades, sports and extracurriculars are often viewed as crowning high school glories. However, these aspirations compete with another almost unmeasurable goal: popularity.

The search for popularity can complicate high school on many levels because of its elusive definition. Popularity can mean anything from wearing the most expensive jeans to receiving the most party invitations.

Many high schools attempt to nail down levels of popularity with a homecoming court, in which students vote for their favorite class representatives who duke it out in pageants and king dances.

This gauge seems a more efficient calculator than a clothes budget, and from freshman to senior year, the court becomes more diverse. However, it is not always dependable, as many friendly and widely-known people are sometimes left off the list.

But regardless of the glory of homecoming night, popularity’s value is highly debatable. While one can argue that a reputation indicates character, being popular – in other words, “all things to all people” – often means sacrificing a sense of self.

The pursuit of popularity may have a cheapening effect: becoming a “yes-man” can produce social and material gain, but practically obliterates independent opinion and interests.

It takes a tremendous strength of will to resist the allure of the mainstream, skillfully demonstrated by former Feather staff member Nigel Alcorn, ’11, who continued to write left-wing articles despite a barrage of dissenting conservative comments. While persistence did not bring Alcorn a fan club, it did garner him respect for maintaining his unshared opinions.

Time spent seeking approval from others can be better spent improving on goals, talents and in-depth friendships. While networking can be valuable in high school and in the workplace, it loses its value if once a connection is made, there is no real relationship underneath.

The search for popularity is in fact futile, because the kind of popularity gained by seeking it is not of the highest caliber. Instead, we should aim for self-confidence, knowing the most valuable approval is the approval of our true selves.

A mask of political correctness and hallway friendliness can be beneficial, but in the end, true popularity is only achieved by one comfortable in his or her identity.

For more opinions from The Feather staff, read the Sept. 24 editorial, College-induced panic attacks or check out the opinions page.