With the popularity of shows like Project Runway and America’s Next Top Model, the hallway of your child’s middle school may resemble a fashion-show catwalk. Kids often feel pressured to keep up with the hottest styles to hang with the popular crowd. But new research suggests that middle schoolers don’t need to be trendy to feel good. In fact, 11- to 14-year-olds who dress according to the customs of their own ethnic group are less likely to have mental health problems than those who don’t, according to a British study in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. Specifically, Bangladeshi girls in the study who lived in England and wore traditional clothing were significantly less likely to have psychological issues than those who tried to mix traditional with white British/North American styles. The authors conclude that building a sense of cultural identity through clothing rather than struggling to fit into mainstream fashion norms can be important for good mental health.