Yeah, I went through a Hot Topic phase.
In 7th, grade I would buy colored hair extensions and wear a different color every day. This was the year of figuring out a way to make my private school uniform express who I “really was” So whether that meant putting on knee-high socks with my plaid skirt, or leaving the top two buttons of my collard shirt undone, I was going to let people know that Ciara was “cool”. The year of the side bang and the winged eyeliner was incredibly eye opening for me. I was really in love with clothes, and style blogs, and fashion but I just didn’t even know where to start. I was terrified of putting together an outfit I’ve always wanted to try for fear that people wouldn’t really get it. Or wouldn’t really get ME in it. This was the time when people were branding themselves and you couldn’t really blend the lines. Style was defining everyone. Even if it was just an added accent to a uniform.
So freshman year of college, I was QUEEN OF THE FUNKY LEGGINGS! (really, ask the entire ccm musical theatre class of 2018). I had this weird fear of dark and grey colors because I felt like I needed to be wearing bright colors that went against my dark skin. It was the beginning of my “coming into myself phase” and for the first time in my life I didn’t want to blend in. So I wore obnoxiously bright things whenever I could and then I would randomly wear a “calming sit at a coffee shop in my hipster high waisted mom jeans” outfit and people would be like ‘WHAT?!’ Seriously, I once had a friend tell me she didn’t understand me because she didn’t understand my style. It was like I really couldn’t wear whatever I wanted to wear or people would think I was having an identity crisis.
Which brings me to the point of this post. I think style can be used to define you. If you are someone who is nonconforming to gender, wearing clothes designed for the opposite gender could be a way of expressing that you don’t identity as anything and you don’t think clothes should either. Or for the simple fact that you like the way the men's section fits you better. Or you can be somebody who loved the movement and freedom of the 70’s so you poof up your hair and wear flared jeans reminding you of your solidarity. Both ways are freakin awesome and super cool ways of expression but they don’t have to define you if you don’t want them to and other people shouldn’t be putting you in a box because of it.
In my opinion, the purpose of style should stop at “freedom of expression”. I wanna get up and dress the way I want to dress and not have that affect anybody but me. I’m the kind of person who will see a girl walking down the street with a super cool outfit and try to replicate it the next day. I don’t care if those earrings are " too loud” for me or if I look like a “poser”. It’s just clothes, and I’m not ruining anyboy's day by wearing them. I want to feel good in what I wear and no one is going to understand that better than me.
SO WEAR THOSE FUNKY PANTS AND THOSE LOUD SHOES IF YOU WANT TO! Let it define you or not define you. But whatever you choose to do, do it boldly, and do it for YOU!
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