A Black Girl's Guide To Fashion At A PWI
It's the first Monday of the semester and you walk into a classroom full of white crop tops, blue ripped jeans, and Ugg boots from three winters ago. A black girl, random red socks hat that you wore because the brim matched your shirt, Rick Owens fresh out the box, limited edition Chrome Hearts shirt, and ripped jeans to match your classmates. Feeling a bit overdressed? Or is everyone underdressed? You notice that not only are you already standing out because you're one of the only black girls in the class, but you also don't fit the unspoken dress code. Now let's get something clear, if there's one thing about Black fashion, it doesn't matter what the pieces are, once that Black magic hits it, it's going to come together! As you're leaving the class you hear “I like your hat, go Redsocks, WooHoo!” What the NPCs in your class may not have realized is that, while to them you may seem flamboyant and looking to stand out, in reality, you're just being yourself.
After a couple of weeks, you find yourself trying to downplay your fashion pieces, and putting less effort into your appearance, why? Is it because you got lazy? Ran out of clothes? Or is it just because of the level of discomfort and uncomfortable attention you attracted when you did put in that effort? While the passion is still there you just need to be reminded of why fashion is such an important outlet, especially for people like us! You start getting dressed up again and feeling back to your old self, this helps you realize a few things about yourself, things that you know others can benefit from.
My Rules to Fashion: It’s Deeper Than The Clothes
WEAR YOUR BLACK
Never leave your confidence at home
Step out of your comfort zone
If they don't like it, they're hating
If they're staring, make sure it’s worth their while
It's not always about designer, but it is always about you
Don't do fashion. BE FASHION.
Lastly, being different is okay, in fact it's better to be different because while the uniform that your classmates wear might be seen as a good thing, there's a saying that goes “too much of a good thing can be a bad thing.”