The fashion choices of YS students

By Jackie Collins

This year, a new dress code pilot has given students more freedom with what they wear. It allows more rips in jeans, crop tops, spaghetti straps and more. But has the dress code really changed what most students wear? Or are their fashion choices about more than just the dress code?  

Kyra Hughley is a senior. She tends to wear a mix of masculine and feminine clothing. Right now, she says she’s into wearing vintage blouses. She wears baggier clothes when she wants to feel more comfortable.

She believes a big problem is feeling objectified in school. She says the fit or length of the clothing you wear will dictate how much attention you get from other people, specifically boys. She comments on how this makes her feel. 

“It’s like school should be the one place that you feel safe and it’s not.” 

Senior Daniel Paz doesn’t always feel comfortable enough to dress the way he wants. He considers his style to be vintage, but he usually holds back because he’s afraid of what people will think. 

“Sometimes you just want to wear something wild. And you’re like, ‘nah, it’s too much,’ my peers, and maybe even my teachers, might judge me a little bit for it. So I was like, ‘Let’s relax a bit.’”

A study published in the Journal of Fashion Technology and Textile Engineering found that pre-teens and teens are more self-conscious about what they wear compared to when they were younger. This age group is more likely to bully their peers for their clothing. So while the dress code has become more lenient, that doesn’t mean peers have become less judgmental. There’s still that fear of not wanting to stick out and trying to fit in. 

Daniel feels like this is especially true in a small town. 

“You have to conform. If we were in some other area, I’d say New York City, I feel like it’d be okay to stick out. But it isn’t.”

Junior Sage Primavera has a gender-fluid style like Kyra’s. He wears everything from crop tops to baggy jeans. He shares how he learned to ignore what people say about how he dresses. 

“I just tried to tell myself, people’s hatred roots from their own insecurities. So I just tried to think that way. And try not to think too much about it.” 

Kyra has also been able to overcome her insecurities. 

“Since I’ve been here for four years now, I’ve learned how to not care about anyone else in this school. So I just wear whatever I want to wear, because I really don’t care what other people have to say about it.”

Students with Kyra’s mindset have helped Sage be more accepting of himself. 

“I think it’s almost influenced the way I’ve wanted to dress just seeing how other people dress and seeing how other people can be just so accepting with what they wear. It made me more accepting with what I wear.” 

If you’re ever feeling insecure about what you’re wearing, remember that you’re not alone. The student that sits next to you in class could be experiencing the same insecurities even if you don’t realize it. Hopefully as time passes, students can learn to accept their insecurities and embrace their own style.

I’m Jackie Collins, Trojan News.