There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be special. Singular. Loved. Adored. However, the fact is that we have too many things in common with the people around us to be truly unique. Instead of celebrating that, some people do their best to stand out in whatever way they can. Their attempts end up being so edgy, cringey, and embarrassing, that they end up on the ‘Not like the other girls’ subreddit.

With over 675k members, r/notliketheothergirls is about shaming those people who put down others and hate mainstream things to feel special about themselves. Have a look through some of the most popular posts featured on the subreddit, upvote the ones that caught your attention the most, and let us know your opinion about why some individuals go to such lengths to seem unique.

Unfortunately, the sad reality is that even with all the progress that we’ve made when it comes to equal rights, there’s still a lot of hate in society. For anyone who’s different. For anyone who stands out too much. Minorities, in particular, are very vulnerable.

I spoke about letting go of hate for others who might be different from us with British psychotherapist Silva Neves. He was kind enough to go in-depth about this with Bored Panda and noted that very often, people who have hatred towards others actually hate parts of themselves. However, that’s not the only theory.

#1 Does He Fit Here?

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#2 My Crush Pulled This On Me Today. I Have To Say I Feel Almost Betrayed

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#3 My Sister Posted This On Facebook. She Definitely Wears This

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The ‘Not like the other girls’ subreddit has been active since September 2017 and is about people “trying to be unique by defining themselves outside ‘the norm.’” However, the results are usually terrible and prompt internet users to post screenshots and photos on the online community. As a warning to others on how not to behave. As a form of amusement for some.

“Do you think everyone else is trash? Do you think you're the only unique person on the planet? Do you constantly feel the need to press down others in order to define yourself? Then this is the place for you,” the moderators introduce the community full of ‘unique individuals’ (i.e. their members) who are ‘standing out’ (i.e. online at the moment).

#4 Something Wholesome For Once

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#5 Someone Had To Say It

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#6 For Real Tho

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According to British psychotherapist Silva, there is a theory that people hate those who embody traits that we’d like to keep secret ourselves. In short, we hate others because we recognize ourselves in them. If society acts as a mirror for us, then hatred is an unhealthy reaction to the truth.

“One psychological theory is that we tend to hate the people who remind us of a part of ourselves that we don't want to acknowledge. For example, if someone has body issues, they are more likely to be hateful towards a large person,” he explained to Bored Panda. This is applicable when analyzing hatred of other groups of people as well.

#7 Poor Girl

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#8 Say It Louder For The “Not Like The Other Gurlz” In Da Back

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#9 New On This Community, And Noticed That Some Aspergers Love Gatekeeping Non-Autistic People

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“Some who represses their sexuality or are uncomfortable with sex are more likely to be hateful towards people who are open about their sexuality or who look sexual,” the therapist continued.

“If we go by this theory, it would mean that people have to learn to accept the whole of themselves and learn to love themselves fully, and then they won't have to project the hatred of themselves towards others,” he said that only through self-acceptance can we let go of hate.

#10 I’m Not Your Typical Girl

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#11 Haven’t Talked To Her In A Year And She Became Not Like The Other Girls

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#12 Definitely Not Like The Other Fake B******

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However, that’s just one theory. Another theory looks at learned behaviors and how our families and environments shape us. “Many people grow up being told to fear those who are different or look different,” Silva said.

“For example, people grow up to believe that black people are dangerous, Asian people are threats, gay people spread disease or sin, etc... These messages can turn people into being racist or homophobic,” the expert explained to Bored Panda that according to this theory, hatred is something that’s learned from one’s environment. Only education and experience can counter this.

#13 A 17 Year Old Girl Doesn’t Know Who Van Halen Is, Shocking

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#14 Self Aware

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#15 This Can't Be Happening

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“For these people to become less hateful, they will need to be exposed to other realities so that they can stop fearing differences, but they also have to be willing to change their minds. Unfortunately, many of these people are not willing to expose themselves to different realities. So, I suppose, one way to eradicate this kind of hate is by changing society at its core and stopping the mindset of fear at the source.”