Do you think self expression is important?

Question

Do you think self expression is important? Do you think its especially important during teen years? How much self expression is too much?
I'll share my life experience. 
Growing up, I had a lot of freedom. More freedom than I probably should've had in regards to curfew and boys and things like that. My mom let me dye my hair crazy colors from the age of thirteen and I still haven't stopped (living that purple hair life at 20 years old). My grandma allowed me to get my first two piercings (naval and lip) at the age of 15 and a half (still haven't stopped with that either. At 18, I had 19 piercings). I was allowed to wear what I wanted outside of school. I never went crazy with that. I wore normal shorts, pants, tank tops, and T-shirts. Pretty much it. My grandma also allowed me to explore my sexuality. She didn't care if I was with girls or boys, she allowed me to have sex in my room, the only thing she forced upon me was birth control. She also didn't get mad when I experimented with drugs and alcohol. I never went too crazy with that either.
I greatly appreciate the freedom I was given. Nobody at my school had freedom like I did. I still had to lie about where I was going when I went to parties. She didn't outright allow me to party my little head off. I still couldn't outright tell her what exactly I did, but when she found out she wasn't too mad. I feel like because of her and the experiences I had, I found myself a lot sooner than anyone else my age did. I knew what I liked and what I didn't like. I hardly felt any confusion about my sexuality. I knew the type of person I was. I fully knew my stance on drugs and alcohol. I knew the type of people I wanted to be around and the people that I didn't. 
My point in all that rambling is that I grew up a lot faster than most for more reasons than this. I knew more about the world and the type of person I wanted to be. I was given a huge dose of reality and it was both amazing and horrendous. Did I make mistakes? Oh yeah. Did I turn my life into a train wreck at times? Definitely. Was my grandma ever disappointed in me? On a few occasions. But did it feel amazing knowing I could make mistakes and know that she'd still love me anyway? Yes. Do I feel like my experiences were beneficial? Yes. Do I feel like they better prepared me to be an adult and a parent? Absolutely. 
Feel free to share your opinion and any stories you have.

Answer

I would like to speak to whoever said no lol

Answer

I had a similiar experience except my mother has some type of mental illness... so she would allow me to dye my hair and go to parties, then use them against me and berate me for doing it 🤷🏼‍♀️. & im glad you said purple hair in your 20s, another user called me out for being "32" and dying my hair 😒

Answer

I think it really is. I went through many many different stages of looks which reflected myself as I got older. My parents let me express myself. I got the piercings and gauged my ears. I got to wear whatever I want. They accepted my boyfriends but I wasn't allowed to have sex in our house, and is still had a curfew. But the simple fact my parents respected me which lead me to be very open with them. I never had to hide anything from anything from them. I think it's very important

Answer

I'm actually growing up in the opposite way of you. My curfew is 6/7 pm. My mom found out I was having Sex and was so mad and wouldn't speak to me for a while. My grades are expected to be above an 85 (closer to a 90).

I'm not allowed to go anywhere without a weeks notice. I've never been to a party. If I were caught drinking or trying any type of drug... well y'all better wish me luck if I ever did.

I was ridiculed for being bisexual and being in a "straight" relationship. I've never gotten to MAKE MISTAKES.

Which makes me fear adulthood. If I make a mistake as a teenager, generally it's easy to fix and done with. If I make a mistake as an adult well I done fucked up. Mistakes are a lot harder to come back from the older you get.

But I've had almost no chances to find out who I am. Although im allowed piercings (thanks Dad)

Answer

I definitely think having strict parents was a hindrance. Granted I was allowed to dye my hair, but I didn't get my ears pierced until my 18th bday, even though I wanted them since I was 4. I was constantly berated for what I was wearing and things like that. And being kicked out of the family for having consensual sex at 17-18 was super fun 😅. It's hard to make friends when you aren't allowed to have anyone over or go to parties and social events. I'm obviously going to take a different approach with any future kids of my own.

Answer

I think it's important. My parents are very oddly selective with what they're strict about. I think as I am getting older, they are changing a little bit with their views. They got into a lot of bad stuff when they were younger involving drugs and pregnancy scares and such, but I don't really think my parents knew how to properly address those issues. For things like hair, my dad would be very much against dying it at all. For a long time, I wasn't even allowed to cut my hair. My mom would be okay with me doing highlights or a natural looking color. I asked to get my ears pierced again and that was shot down immediately lol. But their reasoning for that was understandable I suppose. I think my parents, particularly my mother, are annoying in regards to my clothing. I like very simple clothing but my mom is always trying to get me to wear dresses and the dreadful clogs. She has an obsession with clogs and I hate them. I don't get it. I wear "boy shoes" to them and my mom threw away my sneakers and I was very annoyed. My mom will buy me a bunch of makeup and she doesn't care how I do it or how much I use. I can put on one coat of mascara and my dad will tell me it's too much, though. He doesn't like that I get my eyebrows waxed. Conversely, my mom took me to get my nails done and basically told the lady I was getting them waxed knowing I'd be too shy to say no. I think it's weird when parents, like mine, are so invested in their child's appearances and how they want to express themselves. It's discouraging always being told "no" or "that looks bad" or "girls don't have short hair." It's just another way to needlessly control people.

Do you think self expression is important?

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