Fashion? You do you!

 

Authored by Olivia         One Saturday night, my mom asked me and my sister if we had set out our outfits for church yet. I replied “Yes.” because I had. The conversation continued like normal until we went to sleep. When my mom saw the outfit the next day, she laughed at the idea that I confidently decided, and slept on my decision to wear what I chose.

        It was an orange tee with a jack o'lantern face on it, black and white striped linen pants, a black and white floral shawl, and probably black Converse shoes. I remember this outfit because I love it and I would wear it today. By the by, it was not Halloween.

        I wear what I like and I hate fashion rules. I mix prints, I over-accessorize, and I mix baggy with baggy. I love wearing all the colors I like at once. When I wear makeup, I wear very bold. I have received the most heartening, kind comments from people about how I physically present myself. I have also received some of the most back-handed, out-of-pocket, and worst of all, passive-aggressive comments. 

        Recently, a 20-year-old asked why I dress the way I do. I was stunned and did a bad job answering his question. If I had taken longer to think before speaking, I would have simply said, “I wear what I wear and I ignore fashion rules.” Which is a good summary of what I did say. (Sometimes when I get a good question, I filibuster. I don't know why.) 

        I care about letting my students know that your body is under your control and you can dress it up however you like and it doesn’t say anything about your character or capabilities. Ms. Frizzle (from the Magic School Bus books and cartoon) never had to break down her fit and justify everything she wore. Her outfits spoke for themselves.

        Sometimes, I'll wear black clothing and darker eye makeup, but that gets misinterpreted by some folks, including kids. At work, a four-year-old once told me my black eye makeup “looks evil.” That stuck with me as I was just wearing a neutral, smokey eye. So, I’m intentional about how I present myself. Associating myself with brightness and color is my effort to make myself and my students feel a little more hopeful in the midst of what can be a very scary environment in the classroom. 

        If you see me in public–no, I’m not performing at the circus. I am a woman of integrity and conviction, and I like wearing what I think looks cool.