Clicks. Views. Likes. Attention. That’s all we seem to search for nowadays. Buy all the clothes they want you to get. If you wear them the way the models in those posts do, then you’ll finally be valid, then you’ll finally fit in.
Trends were never meant to come to this point. There is a fine line between exploring style as a collective and surrendering our identities to fit the standard. Today, that line is practically invisible.
On the surface, day-to-day outfits seem insignificant. In reality, our styles can be unique ways of expressing who we truly are in a way that words fail to achieve. For me, and for so many others, my identity has helped shape my style.
In this way, my style has simultaneously contributed to my identity. Above all else, what I wear has always been about self-expression and what makes me feel like myself.
“I really value now how I dress,” said Josie Procida ’29, an animation and visual effects major. “I really feel like I describe my personality and how I am as a person really well through my outfits.”
It isn’t the most common occurrence to see someone walk by wearing a different Disneyland Spirit Jersey every other day, necklaces featuring the Maui Fish Hook and Star Wars Kyber Crystals, bubble tea ear clips, or even a scarf taken from an old indoor percussion costume, but if you run into me on campus, I’m sure you’d notice—and I wouldn’t want it any other way.
It takes courage to trade what social media tells me I should wear for something unique. My desire to be me is more overpowering.
Photo courtesy of Gissel Lopez.
It’s not just me, either. Every day at Azusa Pacific University, I encounter many new styles and windows into different identities.
“For me, I don’t think too hard about the overall outfit,” said Vanessa Hoyt ’29, an animation and visual effects major. “If something makes me really happy, then I’ll get it.”
What we wear was never meant to conform to what we are told we should like. It is about taking what we actually like, what makes us happy, and who we are and turning that into our own style.
The benefits extend even further than ourselves. We showcase our styles to the world so that every passerby can catch a glimpse of who we are. Not because we desire validation, but because of the potential for connection.
“If I’m wearing a shirt that has something with a specific brand or series, it invites a lot of social opportunities if someone recognizes it and compliments it,” said Christian Hyder ’29, a business analytics and honors humanities double major.
While trends arise to form a community that can quickly become discouraging and toxic, self-expression invites a different kind of connection: one built on authenticity.
There’s nothing wrong with being “in the know” of what’s trending or following the current fashion trends if you like the look. However, above all else, fashion is about dressing in a way only you can.
Dress the way you do because it is something you want. Create your own style and set yourself apart. You are the only you on this earth, after all.