Is It All Me? My Clothing Choices and Personality

            Fashion provides individuals with a form of expression.  Your style shows a small part of yourself to the world.  How you dress can help people define who you might be as a person.  I do not believe your outfit can tell your whole story, but it can be a doorway to communication.

My attire mostly consists of T-shirts and shorts or jeans.  Depending on the weather, I may wear a hooded sweatshirt.  My choice of shoes would be one of my Nike sneakers, which I have about 6 currently at college with me.  Through this choice of clothing, I believe I show off my athletic side.  I enjoy playing sports and going to the gym in my free time.  It’s nice to release some energy after a long day.  I am very energetic, active person, so my clothing would accurately match that part of me.  But it would not conclude that I am also an outgoing, spontaneous person.  In this case, my style would define the athlete I believe I am.

At the end of the week, I enjoy going into my more dressy clothing, such as dresses and skirts.  I like participating in “Formal Fridays”, something most of my high school did and I try to continue to do in college.  It’s a great way to end the week and begin the weekend.  In this case, someone could say I enjoy dressing up, which I do, but they might also conclude I dress up every day, which I don’t.  Fridays are a great chance for me to wear clothing I would not normally wear, or haven’t worn in a long time.   I bought the clothing, I think I should be wearing them.  My fashion choices on Fridays are more classy and formal, than during the rest of the week, where I am in my T-shirts and jeans.

Buying clothing for me has always been an event.  I’m very picky about clothing.  I do not enjoy shopping, and could be in and out of a store in a minute.  I want to make sure what I buy is something I will wear.  This may be because I am a college student, and would rather save my money for more important things than clothing.  I am not sure if my opinions will change as I get older or not, but currently, for me, shopping is a hassle.  Price and style have always been on my mind when purchasing new clothes.  I can talk myself out of buying something faster than talking myself into it.  When I am trying clothes on in the store, the slightest thing could bother me about the shirt or pants and I will not buy it.  I think everyone should have deal breakers when buying clothing, because it does help prevent constant impulse purchases.  Being picky is not always a bad thing, because I know the clothing I buy are things I will wear for many occasions. 

Society always has a say in fashion choices.  For example, wearing fur has caused a lot of negative opinions.  I do not particularly like fur or see the point in it, but no one can really tell you what you can and cannot wear.  As a whole, I think my athletic attire promotes a more healthy lifestyle.  I try to work out every day and enjoy eating healthy.  It’s important to be interested in your health choices and enjoy the activities you do.  Being able to dress the way I chose allows me to be me, because I could not see myself in anything else.  The media has been very forward lately about being healthy and making healthy choices.  It’s a constant social issue, where it is your choice to try and make a more conscious effort to be healthy. 

            My attire defines a small part of me.  It shows my love for Nikes, T-shirts, and dress clothes.  My attitude and emotions add to one’s opinion of me.  My clothing just provides a part in that.  I will continue to try and make healthy choices, and enjoy my Formal Fridays.  It’s the simple things in life that make it so much better.  So make some impulse purchases now and then, but also have some deal breakers.  Know what you need, rather than always what you want.  Fashion can either benefit your choices or make them so much worse.  Fashion can be a small expression of who someone truly is, but it does not always define the whole person.  My fashion choices may be simple, but I am not always a simple individual.  

By:  Sarah Rup