Styled Essence

09/26/24

As I tried to cure my boredom with random thoughts and ideas (as one does) on a Wednesday afternoon in a required college community class, I found myself browsing the internet and exploring the process of creating a blog. I wanted to make the best use of my time while doing what I enjoy most: writing and offering insight and advice. Lately, I’ve been obsessing over the show Sex and the City, which inspired me to start this blog with my own unique take on it.

In that required class, we had an assignment on active listening; we were paired up, talked for five minutes, and then switched partners. That’s when I noticed something about one of my partners, Kirstin (or Kristen) and it’s that, she had a very unspecific taste in style. She wore a red sweater paired with a black mid-thigh skirt.

It made me realize that not everyone has a clearly defined style, which got me thinking…what really defines style? Is it meant to fit into a specific, consistent category? Is there one clear answer, or perhaps there isn’t?

On a daily basis, I observe how people dress and how certain types of attire are associated with specific events. This is less true nowadays, though, because so many norms and freedoms have been established in the United States that wearing pajamas to the grocery store isn’t considered unusual, nor would you be judged as someone of the “lower class.” But who says pajamas can’t be stylish? Even if they have a cartoon character on them, it’s all about how you wear them, and the confidence that comes with it. You don’t have to fit a particular standard of beauty or be within a certain status. Style is found in one’s confidence and the way they carry an outfit.

During my last years of high school, particularly my senior year, I met a guy I had a huge crush on, so much so that I started changing my routes at school just to see him. Over time, we began flirting and eventually started attending parties as each other’s plus-one. What made him stand out to me in my suburban Katy, Texas town, was his street style; which I deeply admired and found attractive. As time passed, we started dating. I had grown up around guys who mostly wore high-maintenance, expensive brands like Lululemon, or simply shorts and a Nike hoodie, so he was different. He loved to thrift.

I was always told my style was a bit different, and I knew how to style my clothes – like the “sandwich method” (where you match two colors of an outfit so it flows better in a sandwich format) or knowing what colors complemented each other. But I always thought my style was pretty basic, meaning I mostly shopped at Brandy Melville and PacSun. I’ve always wanted to spice up my game and be more unique.Whenever he appeared in my life, I felt the urge to impress him, which sparked my motivation to begin a journey of discovering my style on a deeper, more meaningful level.

Of course, it wasn’t just a boy who made me take action towards a wardrobe change; I can’t be that person to support those assumptions. But throughout quarantine, and watching my older sister, my cousin who lives in Uzbekistan, and of course my mom, I gained perspectives on how not only people’s personalities but also their experiences affect how they dress. For instance, my 20-year-old cousin has his own small business selling clothes, and it seems to me that people from Central Asia have a taste in style that may come off as out of trend in America. After all, most teens and even grown adults here base their style on trends.

So, is there such thing as finding your “style”? I think so. Whether its putting on whatever you see or taking hours out of your day trying to make an outfit, it’s the way you go about clothes and how much time and effort you put aside for clothes that defines your style. For me, I need quiet some time to decide what to wear so I need to wake up earlier because I ,at times, also have a fear of being judged and criticized by society and people for what I wear. Especially, because all of today’s generations have witnessed judgement in tv shows, applying for jobs based on your gender and if you wear pants or a skirt or popular social media platforms such as TikTok. This fear holds me and many people back of expressing their true identity. Your style is your way of expressing yourself. So yes , wearing a black skirt with a red sweater is stylish and so is wearing pajamas to the grocery store. We’re all stylish in our own way. There is no rule book.