I didn’t always love fashion. Until this summer, I hadn’t really developed my own clothing taste. From kindergarten until sixth grade, I was always the kid with the mismatched clothes and the unbrushed hair, the one who just wanted to run around and laugh (the second half of that sentence still applies). In middle school, I began to observe other girls’ clothing styles, and I wanted the same exact thing. However, what I came to realize while entering high school is that fashion isn’t about what other people are wearing or what you think other people will like on you; it’s about expressing yourself through your own personal style.

In this day and age, many judge what you wear big-time. Raise your hand (don’t actually raise your hand) if someone has ever looked you up and down and said something sarcastic about your clothing. It happens to the best of us. Especially with social media playing a major role in our society, trends spread rapidly. If you don’t have the “latest new thing,” you’re generally looked down upon or not seen as “cool.”  Not only is social media spreading trends, but it also portrays a certain standard of beauty that people are so heavily bombarded with that it can cause damage, such as eating disorders or self-hate. If you try to ignore all the junk we are constantly seeing through our phones when it comes to “beauty” and see that the truth is that everyone is beautiful, it will make you feel more confident. 

Also, keep in mind that trends aren’t bad themselves; it’s the mean things people say when you don’t follow them that are the problem. If you feel that what is trending is your own personal style, then that’s great! But if it’s not, don’t feel down about it; love your style! Sometimes what I like to do is look at certain trends, take inspiration, and then make them my own. Or if there is something that I absolutely love, but the specific brand is too expensive, I find an alternative, which definitely saves me more money for my decaf venti caramel Frappuccinos (that I live on). For example, white shoes are “in” right now, but I didn’t want to buy a $100 pair of white shoes that would get dirty in a couple months. So I purchased a $40 pair of shoes that are just as good and still white. What I was even more excited about was that I liked the less expensive shoes’ design better. Moral of the story: when it comes to fashion, expensive isn’t always better, and sometimes you might like the cheaper item more. 

What looks good when it comes to fashion shouldn’t come from Vogue or social media platforms; it should come from you. Fashion is in the eyes of the person wearing the clothes. For me, my own style took me years to figure out, partially because I was exposed to people looking down on me for my wardrobe choices outside of school and also because I was too young to appreciate it. Finally figuring out that I wanted to dress based on my own thoughts has helped me become a more confident person. I hope that this article has been helpful, even if it’s just a little bit! 

Olivia Lipson ‘25, Assistant Creative Writing Editor  

25olipson@montroseschool.org