For centuries, fashion has been the highlight of society. Whether that be among social class, era, or cultural movement, the clothes we wear are a totem that reflects the times and who we are as individuals.
But as mass media becomes more and more involved in the way we live, it has begun to dictate who we are and what we think we should wear.
In recent times, we’ve shifted from a culture focused on presentation, to one that focuses more on comfort.
“I would say the way I see people dress… I know a lot of people nowadays dress up in sweats and hoodies and all that other stuff,” said Rylie Abel, Grade 11. “But I don’t see many people like try to dress up a lot of times, they just dress up in what’s fast or quick enough to be able to get to school on time.”
How we dress is crucial to how we want to present ourselves.
“From what I see, I feel like you learn better when you’re dressed more productively. You dress the way you want to be because it makes you feel more comfortable and it makes you feel like you’re actually doing something,” said Rylie.
The style of clothing someone wears impacts how others see them. It’s not bad to wear a hoodie and comfortable clothes from time to time, but is it when it’s every day?
“I do feel like I see a lot more casual wear than I do people putting a whole lot of effort into their outfits,” said Ms. Emilee Higdon.
In addition to impacting someone’s reputation, there has also been a lack of diversity in fashion as of late.
“I notice [that when] people try to dress up differently and show their personalities through their clothes, some people just make fun of them,” said Rylie.
Bullying has been a major struggle since the beginning of time, but standing out with your fashion can also be a positive thing.
“I think with any group of humans, our desire is to fit in, and so I think often clothing is a way for us to feel like we fit in,” said Higdon. “I do find that whenever a student does dress uniquely, it draws my attention to them and I want to ask them about ‘where they got their stuff’, and it’s a cool way to engage with people.”
Either way, it’s important to be your own person.
“I feel like a lot of people would be happier having their own styles,” said Rylie. “When you dress up more of how you want to instead of exactly what society wants you to, it brings a lot more confidence and you’re not being held back or anything from expressing yourself.”
When you’re happy in what you wear, you’re happy on the inside. Just as your actions, how you dress reflects how you feel about yourself on the inside.
“I think that the process of finding your style can be scary, to try things that other people aren’t wearing or feel different on you,” said Mrs. Higdon. “But also I think there’s something really valuable in doing things that are outside of your comfort zone.”
When we choose to take steps outside of our comfort zone, it opens us up to the millions of possibilities we have to discover in ourselves mentally and spiritually.
“It challenges you, it grows you, and then hopefully, eventually, you do find a style that is more unique to you and more identifiable to you, and that can bring happiness. There’s joy in the challenge of it,” said Mrs. Higdon.
So next time you’re getting ready to go out, whether that be school, the store, or even the gas station, consider asking yourself:
“How do I want to be presented?” “Do I feel like myself in these clothes?” “How do I want to feel?”
