This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Columbia Barnard chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.
The alarm is ringing. It’s 7am, 8am, or maybe even 11am for those of us who are lucky enough to have class later. Regardless, when we get out of bed we’re all probably almost always thinking: what am I going to wear today? This is a question that has become more frequent for me now being at Barnard than I feel ever before. This is partly due to the very real outfit culture. Everyone, no matter how tired, how many midterms, or assignments they’ve stayed up late for, finds a cute outfit. No matter what the outfit is, even if it isn’t strictly “planned” out, or it’s your “not trying” outfit, the clothes we own are a form of self expression. Beyond our Pinterest boards, what does fashion mean to Barnard students? With this in mind, I asked Barnard students, their style inspirations and self expression on campus.
For those of us who are Barnard students we are familiar with the outfit culture. Even just sitting in the library, you’ll see all styles come and go. I first asked students:
What inspires you to dress up on campus?
One student said, “Dressing up motivates me to have a good day, dressing good is feeling good.”
Another student said, “I like seeing what everyone else wears and drawing inspiration from other cool people so I want to add to the collective culture.” Clearly, dressing up on campus no matter the reason, seems to be an outlet for many. From an external viewpoint, I think if placed on Barnard’s campus any outsider would be able to see the variety in expression. I have no doubt that that would be seen in what we wear. Our wardrobes, if it is remotely similar to mine, hold things random, old, new, outdated, and trendy, yet we find the perfect balance of comfort and confidence in our garments. Some will wear trendier pieces and others will opt for a day of a simple outfit, but nevertheless, our sense of individualism remains. An answer to this question that many of us may agree with is just simply “good weather”, which is often my influencing factor for the best outfit selection.
Individuality at Barnard is seen in many different ways, and I find clothing to be one of those places. The supportive environment within the student body has value and acts as a warm embrace to expression in fashion. Having comfort in the fact that there’s no judgment. This aspect is enriching and freeing on college campuses. Wear that funky pattern, or those neon shoes, simply because you just like them. And yes, while you can also do that in the real world, I think it’s empowering that self expression in an academic setting can exist simultaneously. In each person that walks past Futter Field, Millstein, Barnard Hall, Diana, or Milbank, you learn that the possibilities for fashion are endless. The boundaries of conventional and unconventional are tested. And needless to say that we all have off days, but even the sweat suit you choose to wear, was chosen by you, for you, out of your own style preference.
So what is it about Barnard? Why do so many people express themselves unapologetically through fashion culture? The second question asked was:
What about Barnard do you feel allows you to express yourself in style?
Someone highlighted “No matter what I think is daring or adventurous in my outfits, I know someone out there is more daring and bold.” Without a doubt you will find another person in this community pushing fashion boundaries. The comfort in not doing it alone, another student highlighted exactly that, saying,“I think seeing people around campus wearing really unique and cool things allows me to feel most comfortable expressing myself in my outfits.” Answers as simple as “free will” push people on campus to be authentically themselves. This is me, this is my style, take it or leave it. Even if you have a certain style, I like to say that this campus leads you to explore others, to dive into fashion bubbles you have before left alone, one student expressed “Barnard has so many different aesthetics so I can explore many different styles comfortably.” And finally as a student said perfectly, “Barnard has such a diverse range of styles and cultures, I feel like expressing myself is boundless because we all are different but we all are Barnard.” While difference is often seen as conflicting, on campus seeing the pieces everyone chooses to put on is inspiring. Whether our classmates wear bright colors and others wear prints, when we stand side by side we are a diverse fashion collective with inspirations from all over the world. Some incorporate their own piece of home and culture into their daily styles such as traditional garments. Diversity is one word I would certainly use to describe campus fashion culture, wherever you look you see the parts of everyone’s own world displayed for all to see. As the motto holds, we are all “bold, beautiful, Barnard.”
I used to often wonder: If I wear this will others think it looks right? Is this “fashionable” enough? At Barnard, that fear very quickly vanished, because to be frank, no one cares. Not in a negative way, but more in a way that is welcoming, because so many people are doing the same. Community in self expression. Although we may not wear the same outfit, we all share the same intention of displaying a part of ourselves beyond our academics. This is me. This is who I am. I find this to be powerful but also encouraging for how empowerment can be shared, even if not strictly expressing ourselves in the same way. A simple acknowledgment of the fact we all pick our daily outfits with similar ideas in mind, but have different executions, that’s the beauty of it.