As a student attending college in the South, the high fashion playing field is limited, at best. Sweltering heat, unending hills, and aggressive social norms typical of SEC hubs all combine in a less-than-inspiring clusterf*ck of name-brand spandex and platform tennis shoes. Don’t get me wrong – I love leggings and sneakers just as much as the next girl, but sometimes I can’t shake this need to be surrounded by outfits that are more. . . daring? Maybe that desire was just bred into me after years of wearing rainbow knee-high socks as a tween. Or it could be the fact that my costume box was substantially larger than my actual clothes closet.
I started “over-dressing” in middle school when I first discovered a taste for fashion in the hallowed racks of Old Navy. While I have never expected my peers to partake in my own affinity for waffle-knit cardigans and polkadot blouses, I did wonder why so many people stuck to what was deemed “acceptable” by the masses. I mean, didn’t anyone else want to wear zebra print mini skirts and chunky wedges to school all day? Dissecting a frog is so much more interesting when you’re trying to keep balanced in your 4-inch heeled booties.
The funny thing about “over-dressing” for an extended period of time is that it becomes part of your being, making it acceptable for you to be the only one in the 8am lecture hall wearing clothing with actual zippers and buttons. People begin to make comments like, “You look great, but I could never pull that off,” or (a recent remark made by a fab co-worker who may or may not happen upon this post), “Are you ever scared to wear an outfit?” My immediate returns are always, “Oh, sure you could!!” and “Nope. I just wear what I want!” But I’ve just been thinking, are we really all that free to wear whatever we want, whenever?
Obviously, that answer is a resounding NO. Even I – who many in my life deem as a “risk taking” outfitter – never seem to feel fully free to wear what would make me feel happiest or most expressive. Body image, economic constraints, dress codes, social cues and expectations, and good ole peer pressure all prevent each and every person from creating a closet full of clothing that feels genuine to its wearer. Something as simple as not having a comfortable pair of jeans, a crisp white shirt, or a new pair of shoes has the power to influence a person’s ability to show up in their own lives. I know clothing is a superficial, material aspect of our lives. We don’t need perfectly fitted blazers, trendy white cowboy boots, or exuberant designer handbags to survive as a species. But we do need creative stimulation. We do need passion. And expression. And purpose, community, and drive.
I just happen to be one of those crazy people who thinks that fashion provides us a pretty cute outlet to do those things.
