While clothing is an integral part of life, it is also deeply personal. The style choices we make each day reflect who we are and convey who we want to be to the outside world.
Although American pop culture places a lot of importance on fashion as a form of self-expression, many other cultures stress modesty or conformity to social norms. To see how people around campus felt about fashion, I decided I would ask UC Davis students what the word “style” personally means to them.
The ASW team roamed the Memorial Union area asking students to share their views.
“It depends on what kind of person I want to be that day,” said Nora Kovaleski, a fourth-year English major.
“Fashion should be interesting to look at, but also comfortable,” said Rachel Chase, a fourth-year English major.
“To me it’s about personal expression, being creative and not living in your comfort zone,” said Eavan Huth, a second-year English and psychology double major.
“Dressing up is a way that you can feel confident about who you are — wake up in the morning and say I’m ready to be who I am,” said Kamron Sarhadi, a third-year Spanish and neurobiology, physiology and behavior double major.
“It’s your first representation of yourself,” said Joe Kaylor, a first-year biotechnology and political science double major.
“It’s a way to show what your interests are and what you’re like,” said Connor Osato, a first-year neurobiology, physiology and behavior major.
“Fashion gives you the power to show others your lifestyle and attitudes. I believe that you can tell 80 percent about someone’s personality by looking at their shoes,” said Jeremy Tran, a third-year biological sciences major.
“It’s about self-expression. It’s good for people to express themselves and for others to get a sense of who you are. It’s important,” said Noreen Mansuri, a first-year biological sciences major.
“It expresses who you are without having to say anything — a silent statement,” said Jessica Delacruz, a second-year pharmaceutical chemistry major.
“I’m not sure what style means to me,” said Ricky Dhaliwal, a third-year natural sciences major.
Aggie Style Watch would like to thank everyone who participated in these short on-the-spot interviews for their candid responses. Their answers help us to understand each other better. Stay stylish, UC Davis.
Photo by Julia Kinkela.
