Cougars Express Confidence in Fashion

Being back on campus, 1 of the many things that has clearly changed during the year and a half spent at home is student style. Many students now rock multi-colored hair, varying from bleach blonde to bright pink, and wear more alternative styles of clothing.

Senior Finn Jordan has seen “a few people, even one of the teachers, with dyed hair colors, like hot pink.”

Junior Lara Heber enjoys changing her hair, currently sporting half black, half blonde hair.

“I think styles changed a lot during quarantine because the opportunity to not be seen by people also meant that people could explore their fashion without fear of being judged. I know a lot of people bleached or dyed their hair, or tried new outward clothing. Personally, I’ve had a lot more confidence with my style and I think that’s the case for a lot of people,” said Heber.

Sophomore Josephine Cruse noticed a change in confidence with student style. “[Before the pandemic], I noticed people were trying harder to fit in rather than express their own style. People would wear stuff that they would see the ‘popular kids’ wear, just the same expensive black yoga pants or Brandy Melville outfits so they wouldn’t draw unwanted attention,” said Cruse.

Sources of fashion inspiration have also changed during the time spent at home. With only the internet as an influence, many students gathered style ideas from social media.

“[Social media influenced style] because people were spending a lot more time online than before and being exposed to a lot more styles and ways to express themselves,” Heber said.

Heber added, “I also think indie style is really in fashion right now, almost everyone wears straight high waisted jeans and a crop top, and having time to explore what you looked like has made many people come back looking different.”

Jordan has seen more upperclassmen “dress in a bit fancier clothes.”

“I think people are trying to make themselves look a little bit nicer. After being on Zoom for a whole year, no one really cared about their appearance at home. They’re trying to make a good impression with each other,” said Jordan.

Cruse added, “I think in the time that we haven’t been in school, people have had more opportunity to explore their style without the constant pressure to fit in, there’ve been more chances to try new things and new styles so people might find a style that they’re more confident with.”