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" Dear Jess, I&amp;#039;ve had the same group of friends for a long time. Some people might even consider me one of the popular kids, but I feel like I&amp;#039;m different from them. I care about my looks and how I&amp;#039;m perceived, but the other girls in my group only care about these things. Sometimes I wonder if they even know what is going on in the world. Hanging out with them can lower my self-esteem because they&amp;#039;re always trying to keep up with everyone else, compete to look the best, and hook up with the hottest guys. It&amp;#039;s not that I don&amp;#039;t want to be friends with them\u2014I just don&amp;#039;t want to talk about makeup, Facebook, and boys all the time. I&amp;#039;m scared that if I distance myself then I will be alone. What should I do? Johannah Hi Johannah, Having to choose between your friends and yourself can be hard. You should always go with what feels right in your heart. If you honestly don&amp;#039;t enjoy spending time with these girls and are not growing as a person, you might need to make other friends who share common interests. What are you passionate about? See if there are any clubs at school or in your neighborhood for people who share your passion.  If you truly enjoy your current friends, but want deeper connections, try taking the lead. Start talking about issues besides boys and Facebook. See if they will join you in an activity that has a big more value, like volunteering in your community or going through your closets to donate clothes (trying on outfits while doing good\u2014now that&amp;#039;s a compromise!). Ask them about their dreams and goals in life; sometimes people just need a chance to express themselves. Most of all, stay true to who you are and don&amp;#039;t give up on what you want in a real friend! Blessings, Jess "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.seventeen.com/health/advice/a26948/deeper-friendship/>