“I believe that there are lots of standards in the way people dress these days, and if you decide to dress differently, you will be judged,” said Junior Victoria Miro when asked if society’s expectations influence her personal style. The pressure to dress perfectly has led to a phenomenon that many call performance anxiety.
Diversity in style at B-CC is relatively limited, so people notice when one is overdressed or underdressed. Getting noticed doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing; it can be as simple as a small glance. However, it is difficult to distinguish between judgment and praise within a small glance, causing some students a feeling of uneasiness.
Some students fear standing out. The surge in the Clean Girl Aesthetic on TikTok places unrealistic expectations on women to look effortlessly beautiful. The term is defined loosely as a fashion sense and lifestyle that appears elegant, perfectly put together, and minimalistic. To achieve a naturally beautiful appearance, some students spend hours to look as though they’ve just rolled out of bed.
Miro shared that she puts in a good amount of effort everyday to maintain her look, adding that doing her makeup and hair always takes the longest. She said, “I would say it stresses me out a lot, because I have to choose between sleep or time in the morning to get ready.” Another student, Sophomore Simone Pulerwitz-Waisbord said, “It stresses me out a bunch always having to be dressed a certain way and keep up my appearance.”
With social media influencing the way students style themselves, what is deemed stylish is never certain and constantly changing, making it hard to keep up with trends. “I think that without social media I would look a lot different, I wouldn’t always be comparing the way I dress or look to people online and trying to match them,” said Pulerwitz-Waisbord.
For some of our Barons, what they wear to school is a confidence make-or-break. If Barons see someone wearing and outfit they love, they should consider giving a compliment. After all, that person might have spent all night picking it out.
