The internet is a great place to find new ideas, people, and best of all, clothes! Looking through any social media you will find other people your age who are able to pull off some pretty cool, motley clothing. Now, at least when I see these sorts of pictures, my mind immediately comes to a cross road; would I be able to wear that? now, the answer is yes, of course, because anyone should be able to wear anything their heart desires but, in a high school environment, it can be hard to express one's interests without ridicule.
I had two big turning points in my clothing choice last year, one being the summer of 2017 and the other about 3 months into it my sophomore year. The first change occurred shortly after I joined a theatre company that summer and grew very close with all my cast mates while we rehearsed. They made me feel different than any of my friends did at the time, celebrating my differences. Whenever I was with them, I fell into a euphoria. I started wearing more clothes that I thought were so much cooler than anything I had before, taking inspiration from Christian Akridge and Conan Gray. I slowly became comfortable with the new change until it felt like no one was staring at me anymore, and if they were, I didn't care. Then sophomore year hit and I went back to my old ways of staying in clothes that I felt comfortable in, along with old friends who made me feel the same way, comfortable, but unhappy. My mental health plummeted quickly and I knew things had to change, so I distanced myself from all my old friends and found a new group that accepted me for who I was, without any sort of judgement. I suddenly realized I felt the way I did back during the summer, and began wearing all the clothes that made me feel like I owned my style. I no longer felt like I was in outfits picked out by everyone else's hands. Now, I wear whatever I feel and constantly remind myself that life is way too short to be wearing anything less than what I want.
Stay peachy,
Aaron <3