Fitting in & the Carbon Copy Culture That Is College
“There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered. ”
With the year coming to a close it has been an adjustment finishing my last year of undergrad back in Indiana. I chose the quote above to start off this blog post because I think it best captures the sentiments I have felt since being back home from my stint overseas. It is true that I am itching to get back, however what I want to discuss with you all is the difficulty I’ve faced with integrating back into a culture that no longer fits who I have grown to be… (not that it ever did).
At times I get dressed and ask myself, “Is this too much?” or “Is there too much going on?”
This was one of those moments, where my fear of standing out almost made me change what I had been inspired to wear in the first place. Everyone may not get it, but someone, somewhere will. And for that reason alone I continue to wear what I see fit.
Had I not traveled abroad, I wouldn’t have experienced some very necessary growth. This aside, I think that if I would have stayed in my college environment, I still would have outgrown it to the point that I have now. In my four years of undergrad I have discovered that college creates a culture of separation and superiority. Within this realm, creativity and originality both struggle to exist organically. Everyone is trying to do something that has already been done, in an attempt to impress people who have already made a poor impression themselves. As graduation nears and I see underclassmen doing their best to integrate into this ordinary culture, I hope that at some point in their matriculation they have that “Aha!” moment. The moment when they realize that there is nothing groundbreaking about fitting in, and that by un-apologetically standing out, they will start a trend that has the power to change everything.
My inspiration for this look was rugged and militaristic. Sometimes I dress how I feel, and this particular day I felt like being comfortable and staying warm, while working within a color scheme that fits the current season.
What will you wear to stand out?
