It seems that college campuses represent the most current fashions. Take a walk around any campus, and you will likely see the latest trend in fashion. This makes sense, considering the amount of young people concentrated in the same area. However, what is "normal" differs greatly between every college. At some campuses, it is a rarity to see people dressed up for class, while at others, this is a regular occurrence.
After graduating from high school, my close group of friends and I each went to very different colleges, all over the United States. It is always interesting to hear stories about their experiences, and the unique aspects of each of their schools. I remember when the topic of fashion came up in one of our conversations. One of my friends attends a private school in Dallas, and she remarked that almost everyone comes to class dressed up. By dressed up, I mean wearing something other than a t-shirt. This makes sense, considering Dallas is a very fashion-forward city. Another friend attends a large state school, where the overwhelming norm is to wear t-shirts and athletic shorts to class. Yet another friend attends an Ivy League school in the north, where students tend to dress up more for class.
Fashion is an interesting culture to observe because it is so widespread, and I think that colleges are among the best places to do so!
What does fashion say about the people that attend these schools? Does it mean that they care any less or more about their appearance than students at another school?
There is definitely a "rhetoric" involved in the way that people dress. I suppose that we are adopting a persona that we are presenting to the world in some sense. I came here from a small commuter institution where most students had full-time jobs and attended school dressed up because they were attending class before or after work. I was completely shocked when I first attended a large state school and saw how everyone wore what I perceived to be the "same thing" to class (school t-shirts, casual shorts, and flip flops).
ReplyDeleteThe idea of a regional difference in style is unique and something I have not thought about much because when I think about people dressing differently, I automatically think of Americans having one style and people in other countries having another style. I have thought about people in different regions of the U.S. dressing differently based on the weather and convenience but not necessarily because of style trends.
ReplyDeleteI also think it is interesting how instead of just focusing on different regions having different styles, you brought up how the styles of people on college campuses differ within those regions as well. Since Ivy League schools are stereo-typically very difficult to get accepted into, maybe these students carry out their sense of professionalism in academics to other aspects of their lives as well, such as what they choose to wear. Of course college students may choose to dress up at schools that are not Ivy Leagues, so maybe the way people dress is solely based on personality.
I think this is a very interesting topic to write on with respect to culture. I believe that the way people dress does vary between different schools, not necessarily because the population of one school care about their appearance more or less than the other, but I think it's all based on personal preferences. I know of people that attend schools where the majority of people wear t-shits and athletic shorts, but they decide to dress up just about every day, and vice versa. But also I feel, in a sense, that people dress to fit the social norm, while others would rather stand out from the crowd.
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