Should we be more original?

Walking the streets of Hull since being home from university, I've noticed the lack of originality when it comes to peoples clothing/sense of style.

Why do people no longer strive to be different or stand out from the crowd? The aim seems to be to just blend in with the surroundings & look like clones of each other, the same clothes, phones, hair styles & interests...

Almost every teenager in town wears the same outfit, all the girls with their hair extensions in, piled high on their heads resembling what can only be described as a pineapple. Teamed with the usual denim shorts/leggings/tube skirt, which leave very little to the imagination & an oversized t-shirt for a band from before their time... This is all nicely finished off with a pair of 'vans' or 'toms', an oversized knitted cardigan & a large cloth bag. More often than not clutching their latest blackberry or iphone. The boys are  obsessed with their chinos & denim shirts, not forgetting the 'vans' & 'toms' as mentioned above!

The few people you see around who don't conform to these conventions are often frowned upon, like most cities we have some chavs & goths who follow the traditional dress code for their style. Which poses the question why are people treat differently because they don't follow the crowd? I for one don't like to wear the same clothes as everyone else, to the point where I try to wear things that probably wouldn't be chosen by many.

I think your style says a lot about your personality as an individual, yet whilst many follow the latest fashions they adapt them to suit their personality, something that is lost among this mass of chinos & espadrilles.