Hiding In the shadows

The groups who you are around helps develop your fashion sense. When I was in high school I didn’t belong to any particular group, I had my AP class friends, my dance friends, my musical friends, my engineering friends and then my friends who accepted me through thick and thin. With each different group I was in I had a different style, the only people who truly saw me for who I was were my best friends. My style didn’t fit into just one group because I was a part of so many different activities, my style evolved around what I did. However, when I was with each different group my style leaned towards everyone else’s style. I just wanted to fit in.

                I was the girl in high school that just wanted to get through school without really being seen. I had a lot of friends but I didn’t have a clear fashion style, I really didn’t know who I was. As embarrassing as it sounds I was more of a follower then a leader. As a dancer and someone who did theater it was really easily to blend in. Everyone wore the same outfits in dance and everything was choreographed to be the same. In dance class you weren’t an outsider, everyone was there because they had one similar interest. It was easy to fit in there. Doing theater everyone is supposed to act as a different person, I fit in because I was able to act like someone I wasn’t and it was completely accepted. Fashion was easy in theater; all of your outfits are picked out for you and people even helped you change from one thing to another. It was like fashion made easy.

When I with my engineering friends my tom boy side came out. For many of my engineering classes I

was the only girl and it was hard to fit in with the boys, I wasn’t one of them and that was clearly seen. As much as I wanted to fit in it was impossible to and I grew to be alright with that. Being the only girl certainly makes you become yourself in a big hurry. I learned that people would accept me for who I was and not just because I looked the part.

Once I learned how to be myself without trying to hide in the shadows my fashion style began to grow. I was someone who wanted to wear dresses and be myself. People accepted me and I didn’t have to be afraid of what people would say. If someone didn’t like me then I would just realize that I had so many other people who would support me through thick and thin. My fashion sense came with a new found confidence that I loved, I was proud of who I was and I showed it. My fashion style is me, you can see my moods through what I’m wearing. In college, if I’m wearing sweatpants or yoga pants it’s usually because I know its going to be a long day and I want to be comfy. If I’m actually dressed up then its because I want to show off that I am proud of who I am and I don’t want to live in the shadows anymore.

Ethical Questions:

1)      Do you think that the people you are around affect your fashion style?

2)      Is fitting in with a group a way to shadow yourself from everyone else?