We all start with our parents dressing us, as we’re too young to honestly care about what we’re wearing. As we grow older, we begin to fall into society’s trap of caring way too much about what people look like, how they act around others and what makes them unique from everyone else.
When it comes to fashion, many people tend to wear very similar outfits in regards to what is considered “trendy” or not, which doesn’t truly separate them from everyone else. That’s why it’s crucial to try and find your style and personal touch, so you can stand out from the crowd.
The first time I started caring about how I dressed was in grade four. I was on the playground, and two girls in my grade, one of which I was friends with at the time, came up to me and asked me why I never wore jeans. I was still at that point when I let my mom pick out my outfits, and she usually bought me very bright clothes that mostly consisted of pink leggings with floral designs.
The two girls made fun of me for not wearing jeans, so I told them I’d come back the next day wearing them. After school that day, I found a pair of jeggings that my mom had bought for me a while ago that I had never worn, so I decided to wear them the next day. The two girls still weren’t overly impressed with my fake jeans, but it was as close as I was willing to get. Once grade five rolled around, I became more interested in getting clothes with my mom, which led to me actually getting, and wearing authentic jeans this time.
I never cared about looking good and impressing people with how I looked until the end of grade ten. I transferred schools after grade nine because I was sick of being in private schools for five years. I had to wear uniforms everyday at these schools, which never really gave me the chance to try out different styles or to show people my fashion identity.
Once I transferred to the public high school in grade ten, I began wearing regular clothes and looked at others’ fashion sense. I didn’t honestly care as much about how I looked until people, including my friends at the time, began to assume my sexuality based on what I wore, as I was a huge tomboy until the end of grade ten.
This made me question everything, and so in the summer after grade ten, I began going to the mall more to buy clothes that were girlier and that I thought girls at my school would wear themselves.
At the beginning of grade eleven, I returned with a girlier, more form-fitting look. I began wearing a bit more makeup as well, which got me more friends and the attention of guys who wouldn’t even look at me the previous year. This was when I knew just how significant fashion is in society, as it, unfortunately, defines your worth to your peers.
This same year, I got my first part-time job to make some money and fill up my spare time more. With this new means, I could buy more clothes and accessories to further perfect my fashion sense. By the second semester of grade eleven, I became friends with this girl, who I thought was popular and dressed really lovely at the time. Unfortunately, she didn’t like how I dressed, so we began going shopping a bit together.
When we would Facetime some nights after school, she would pick out my outfits. I was too naive to understand that what she was doing was wrong on many levels. Still, unfortunately, I wanted to be friends with her so bad that I listened to whatever she said.
Once grade twelve rolled around, I was still a pushover type of friend but not to the same extent. My fashion sense had improved from the previous year, in which I gained even more friends, more attention from guys and more confidence.
This continues to develop over the years, as I have more money to afford nicer clothes, and my fashion sense continues to evolve.
The most important thing someone should know as they are growing up and figuring themselves out is to not let others define you through what they believe would be best for you. The only person who truly knows what looks and feels best is you.
Sure, getting someone’s opinion on a shirt you wanna buy is totally valid, but if they hate it and you like it, just remember to go with your gut feeling.
Everyone’s fashion sense differs, and that’s the whole point of creating originality in the world of evolving fashion and beauty trends.
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