For me, I don’t wear anything that stands out. I’ll always try to match my clothes with my shoes and whatnot, but I don’t wear anything that has slang or of offensive content. I am a low-key kind of person; I’ll usually keep to myself unless I’m with people I’m close with, and I feel that my style shows that characteristic to a certain extent. Normally I’ll wear different type of Nike t-shirts, and I’ll wear a black or gray sweater on top. I’ll either sport dark blue or pitch black jeans and I’ll wear different shoes with my look, weather permitting. For my shoes, I only wear Nikes/Jordan’s, because they are very comfortable and very stylish as well. I’ve grown up wearing Nikes my whole life; I did purchase one pair of Adidas, but the shoes were really uncomfortable so I switched back to Nike. I personally am a brand-loyalty type of person; I’ll usually limit myself to Nike, as I love to play basketball, and Nike always had better basketball gear than Adidas. From there, I’ve latched on the Nike culture as I also work out often, and I love the Dri-fit fabric that Nike uses for their clothes. For jeans, I’ve tried different types but I only purchase Levis, as they are the most reliable for me, and have a good look as well. For going out, I’ll wear more casual higher quality clothes, such as Apt. 9 and Marc Anthony. I have a very consistent yet distinct personality, and my style reflects as such. The types of colors that I’ll wear the most are red, blue, black, grey and white, and I’ll always try to switch my color combinations on a given day. It may seem like I spend a lot on my clothes but in reality I always find really good deals on items and I have friends that work in clothing stores such at Kohls for example and so I get very exclusive discounts on almost anything I’d want to buy. I follow upon the saying “look good feel good do good”, and I feel that one’s style can be a huge impact on their confidence.

My style has changed a lot over a long period of time, especially these past couple of years. In my early teens I would wear basketball shorts everyday of the week, and I would never try to match my clothes. I wore baggy t-shirts and socks that would cover my entire calf, not just my ankles. I had attempted to go with a “street” look back then, but my parents and family friends were not a fan of my style. However, now I am an overall casual dresser unless I’m going to workout or play basketball, then I’ll wear the appropriate clothes. The “feel good” factor helps me a lot when I work out or play basketball because it motivates me to exercise more and become more fit. I’m not 100% sure that wearing Nike Dri-fit gear helps one perform better as opposed to a plain t-shirt, but it will for sure psychologically prepare someone to workout better, which makes buying such gear worth the expenses.

My family doesn’t carry a strong belief for every day attire, but for various holidays and events they have a strong belief in wearing traditional clothing. In my culture, the males wear a style of clothing called Kurta and women wear a type of dress known as a Sari. Both types of clothing come in many colors, and they are very gorgeous to look at. My parents love to wear traditional clothing and will grab any opportunity to do so. I too love wearing traditional clothes as well, as it is a completely new look and it’s very stylish. The only drawback is that it can be hard to put on, and it can get uncomfortable, but it isn’t too big of a problem since we don’t wear them that often. We are a very cultural family, and love to show our traditional attire given the opportunities to do so.

Finally in my core community, their beliefs are to be more mature and have a conservative perspective so they wear more shirts and pants. It would be a rare sight if they were wearing a t-shirt or shorts. They are modest in their looks; on a warm day the men would maybe wear cargo shorts, and the women would wear a long dress. For holidays and events however, everyone in my community would wear traditional clothing as well.

I’m fortunate enough to have been born a male in my family and culture, because although the women are very respected, they have to follow a lot more rules than we too, especially in terms of attire and what they can and can’t wear. There are some rules for guys of course, but showing any more skin than necessary in my culture is considered offensive, and so girls would be glared upon constantly. However, traditional clothing is one of my most favorite aspects of my culture as it is very unique and carries a lot of significance in our history.

Overall, I believe that clothes can define a person to an extent. However, by that I don’t mean that those who wear a $500 t-shirt is superior to one that wears a $5 shirt. There are so many styles and types of clothes in this world, which gives hundreds of millions of combinations for guys and girls alike; so in that sense I feel that their characteristics are seen by their certain style in outfit Some carry more attention on their shoes. Others prefer a branded style of jean. Regardless of ones preference, I love to see what other people wear on a daily basis, whether it is a regular or a traditional day, and I hope that all the cultures continue to maintain their individuality as time progresses.