Fashion isn’t about the body; it’s about the attitude. In this week’s edition of Campus Chic, our muse of the week and fifth year English and Chicano studies double major, Joanna Villegas, shares her journey to becoming the strong, confident and full-figured woman she is today.

Now, I can go on and on about how we need to love ourselves and embrace all of our flaws, but how exactly do we do that when society tells us we’re never good enough? I might be stating the obvious with that contention, but working at a fashion magazine in New York City made the exclusion of plus-sized women in fashion all the more real to me. Despite having a spread in the magazine targeted specifically towards the everyday plus-sized woman, I clearly remember the design director scoffing at the idea of supporting “fat women” and claiming that the feature has “absolutely nothing to do with fashion.”

I don’t know about you, but it’s definitely time for a change because I’m sick and tired of seeing stick-skinny models walking on every runway at every fashion show. Wear what makes you feel good—what makes you feel “powerful.” Perhaps it’s a bold print or your favorite shade of red? Perhaps it’s a killer pair of wedge heels or sky-high knee-length boots? Whatever it may be, step out of your comfort zone and try things you’ve always wanted to wear! Remember, fashion is about taking risks and channeling a stronger, more confident and unstoppable you.

James’ Notes: Dress for the ’90s? Yes, please! Break out those flared bell-bottoms, rock that neon windbreaker and wrap that flannel around your waist because the ’90s are back and chic-er than ever. With all this buzz over blue collar boots for the white collar worker, I’m predicting fashion’s next biggest thing will be overalls. Hell yeah.

1. If you could describe your personal style in three words, what would they be?

Comfortable and constantly changing.

2. Who or what is your style icon?

I can’t say that I have a particular style icon — or ever did. In the past two years, since I transferred to UC Davis, my style has been constantly evolving. There are fat and fabulous women on Tumblr that have encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone and I find myself wearing something outside of my former comfort zone everyday to see if I like it and how it makes me feel. The queer community was extremely helpful in improving my perception of self and fashion became a tool of resistance against the standards of beauty I used to think I had to meet.

3. What are your three must-have items in your wardrobe?

Leggings, dark blue jeans and tank tops/camis. I feel like these are the basics and you can dress these up or accessorize them as much as you’d like.

4. What is your favorite accessory and why?

I love big earrings and I love scarves. I don’t know if I could pick a favorite!

Earrings and scarves are close to your face and people immediately notice them when they greet you. These accessories can make a memorable statement about you. For example, I have a lot of earrings with spikes, that I feel in many ways characterize my fearlessness as a fat queer chicana femme.

5. Where do you love to shop and why?

I mainly shop at thrift stores now. They’ve proved good for accessories, but since they don’t always have plus-size clothing, I also make the occasional trip to Torrid or the Forever 21 (small) plus-size section. I always go to clearance racks first. It’s nothing new to say that there is a limited amount of options for plus-size folks. There have been improvements over the last few years which is nice because I don’t feel I should need to change my body in order to find clothing that properly fits and appeals to my taste.

6. What is your most treasured item in your wardrobe?

I bought a maroon plaid shirt at the beginning of this quarter and it has become my favorite thing to wear! I bought this shirt around the same time I chopped off my hair. That shirt has become a marker for all the changes in my style and gender presentation.

7. How has your style changed since high school?

Coming from a low-income background, a lot of the clothes I had growing up was either handed down or picked for me based on the price. It wasn’t until about junior year of high school — probably around the time I started working — that I was able to pick some things for myself. I do acknowledge though that my parents would let me choose my shoes growing up, regardless of the price. It was the one thing I had a lot of freedom with because my mother grew up having torn shoes, in some cases sharing shoes with her siblings, for most of her childhood and it was a very traumatic experience for her. Needless to say, I had no space to build my own wardrobe. When I did have the chance, there were a lot of body size issues that wouldn’t let me feel comfortable in certain articles of clothing. Now, I feel comfortable with my body and feel comfortable in practically anything. Right now I’m loving clothing with mesh.

8. What does fashion mean to you?

I’m having a hard time with this question because I don’t consider myself a fashion trendy person. When I think FASHION I imagine extremely thin people and models with class privilege — no one I will ever resemble and by no means am aspiring to resemble. So I guess fashion has become an act of resistance; it gives you the opportunity to outwardly express yourself and have people perceive you the way you want to be perceived. Others might try and police you, but at the end of the day, you will present the way that feels best for you.

9. How do your queer and Chicana identities play a role in creating your personal style?

As a Chicana, I have become politically conscious and culturally aware. It is through this personal growth that I was able to see myself in a positive way. It is through this growth that I can now celebrate my fat, brown body and appreciate it as it is. It is through this growth that I am able to tell others openly that I am queer — that I am able to acknowledge resilience as a skill. I have altered my perception of self by deconstructing the oppressive thinking that lived within me — the oppressive thinking I learned as a child and continue hearing as I navigate new spaces.

10. What final tips can you give to our fashion-forward readers?

I often hear different people say that a certain article of clothing wouldn’t look nice on them or a certain shade looks bad on them. I think I want to ask those people to give it a chance. If there is something that you have admired on someone else, something that has caught your attention, and you’ve caught yourself wishing you could wear that, give it a chance. It’s refreshing to get out of your comfort zone sometimes. If you fear being mocked, ridiculed or shamed, you might be holding back for a valid yet wrong reason. I only say that because I took so long to 1) appreciate my body, and 2) wear clothes that look fabulous on me — colors that look lovely on me — because I was so scared of what others will say about me or to me.

On Nov. 22, internationally-recognized Tea Master Wingchi Ip and former curator of Asian Arts at the Fogg Museum and the Saint Louis Art Museum Dr. Steven D. Owyoung will speak to present the Wingchi Ip and the Art of Tea exhibition that is being shown at the Nelson Gallery from Nov. 15 to Dec 15.

Sponsored by the Department of Art and Art History, East Asian Studies, the Davis Humanities Institute, the UC Davis Confucius Institute, Alan Templeton and Darrell Corti, the colloquium will take place at the Nelson Gallery, from 3 to 5 p.m. Both Ip and Dr. Owyoung will describe the centuries-long culture of tea, to explain the calligraphy and materials relating to tea featured in the exhibition.

The exhibition largely displays books about tea and tea culture found in the UC Davis Special Collections Department, and tea paraphernalia from the Katharine Burnett and Bob Moustakas Collection.

A few students were granted the opportunity to help curate the exhibition, such as fifth-year art studio major, Roxanne Faure, who described what specifically is featured in the exhibit.

“The focus of this exhibit and of UC Davis’ study of tea is not primarily about East Asian art, but tea around the world,” Faure said in an email interview. “The exhibition features a selection of books and cards from Special Collections’ Hurt-Peck Beverage Library and general Special Collections holdings, along with two poems on scrolls written by visiting Tsiologist Wingchi Ip, one of the foremost tea experts in China and who has been instrumental in disseminating quality teas and information about them.”

Many departments from different areas of discipline at UC Davis have become influenced by these tea-related collections. This has encouraged research in nutrition, agriculture and other areas, so the creation of this exhibit seemed fitting, attracting many fields.

“Professor Katharine Burnett has been working closely with our school librarians to find and catalog books in the Shields Library that deal with tea,” Faure said. “Since UC Davis is beginning to study tea across departments and we’re having all these marvelous tea-related events, Axel Borg, a librarian in the biology and agriculture department of Shields, had the idea of creating this exhibit of materials from Special Collections on tea and offered to have students from Professor Burnett’s seminar curate it.”

Fourth-year international relations major and art history minor Ashley Cook was also offered this opportunity to curate. She described her and Roxanne’s specific roles as curators of the exhibition in an email.

“I found the opportunity in Professor Katharine Burnett’s proseminar class about tea, part of the AHI 190 series,” Cook said. “My role, as well as Roxanne’s, has primarily been invested in identifying and organizing materials for the collection, which is not an easy feat when looking at the 256 results that come up when searching ‘tea’ in the Special Collections Database.”

To present this compilation of tea-related items that Roxanne Faure and Ashley Cook had the opportunity to arrange, UC Davis had Wingchi Ip himself come, along with tea historian Dr. Owyoung.

Wingchi Ip is a tea master, tea scholar, artist and director of Lock Cha Tea Shop, where he is a tea exporter, manufacturer and retailer in Hong Kong. He is also the former head of the Fujian Tea Research Institute, in Fu’an China. At the colloquium, he will describe “The Way(s) of Drinking Tea,” where he will explain how to select, brew and taste teas, as well as explain the differences between the primary types of Chinese teas on the market, such as green, fermented, semi-fermented and white teas.

Following Ip’s detailed description of the different ways to drink tea, Dr. Owyoung, will present his “Drinking from the Dragon’s Well: An Introduction to the Tea Cultures of China, Korea and Japan.” This is an hour-long presentation of the historical figures and events that inspired the evolution of tea from a beverage to a philosophical and spiritual pursuit. Dr. Owyoung is an expert in the subject, and has concentrated on the translation of texts and poetry related to tea.

“‘Drinking from the Dragon’s Well’ offers a history of tea from the seventh through 19th centuries,” Dr. Owyoung said in an email. “The illustrated presentation will cover three civilizations and shows the transmission of tea over time between continental China and its transformation by peninsular Korea and the archipelago of Japan.”

As a near-universal drink in Asia, tea has for millennia had a great cultural influence that continues to this day. Its use seems to demands a mastery of knowledge, technique and form, all of which contribute to the notion of performance, grace and formality, making it an art form.

“The talk will explore various historical and aesthetic movements of each of the three Asian cultures, including the Daoist origins of tea, the import of monastic practices, the philosophical bases of tea and their expression in the arts,” Dr. Owyoung said. “Tea should be seen as an art, because of its preparation, service and appreciation. In its various forms fine tea was and still is a costly commodity.”

As tea has taken on a great importance even in the United States, this talk helps trace the culture of the art back to its roots. Wingchi Ip and Dr. Owyoung will present this journey at the colloquium, where one can anticipate beverages and a chance to explore future opportunities for studying the art, history and science of tea on our campus.