My Appearance Essay

I never really spent much time caring about how I dressed or how I presented myself before college. Growing up I would shop with my parents at whatever store was cheapest yet still had clothes that could fit a pretty tall child (generally Ross or TJ Max). I had 0 style between the ages of 6-14. When I went to high school things did not get much better, at least regarding my style. I played on three different sports teams throughout high school and would practically only wear the free clothing that each sports team give to each of their athletes. During fall I would wear my soccer shirts with shorts or jeans. Winter would be basketball shirts and polos with jeans and some sneakers. During fall? You guessed it, some tennis shirts and shorts to match. When I was not wearing clothing with my high school logo on it, I was wearing old t-shirts or a sweater that someone would leave at my house. However, when I got to college I was forced to buy new clothing because I could no longer get away with wearing my high school brand at a school with over twenty thousand people.

I would describe my current style as a mix between business casual and casual. Generally speaking, in hot weather I will wear a pair of Khaki shorts and a colorful V-neck. Or if it is particularly hot I will wear a tank top and some athletic shorts. When the weather gets colder I will most likely be in a button up shirt with jeans or khaki pants. I wear a nice pair of shoes that are pretty fashionable these days. Aside from clothing my appearance is pretty unoriginal. I do not have any tattoos or piercings, something that I am sure my mother is happy about. I don’t wear any big jewelry besides watches. Watches are the best way that I have to personalize myself without looking to ridiculous in my opinion. Since I am a business major and am involved in many out of school business events, it is important that I look professional and a watch is the most professional piece of jewelry. One thing that I do quite a bit that many of my peers don’t is that I gel my hair practically every day. I have been doing this since middle school and think that I will be doing it for a long time going forward. The reason that I gel my hair is that I am very proud of my European roots. Hair style is very important in France, where I come from, and it is rare to see someone who has long hair not style it in some fashion or another. When my hair is short I will generally put in strong gel and try to make the front up into a point. When my hair gets to be a little longer I will move more towards a mouse and put my hair backwards but still up. While I am sure you are as interested in my hair as I am, we can move to another topic.

I think that the way I dress shows a lot about the values of my family and the way that I was raised. I was always told growing up to make the best first impression possible and I think that is what I try to portray in the way I look. You won’t see me with a big beard or earrings because these are things that are visible to everyone around me. While I have no problem at all with people who have tattoos and piercings, some people do and I would like to make the best impression possible to everyone. Gelling my hair goes a long way towards preserving my family heritage as well. I love the fact that I am European and want to keep that part of me as close as possible. By styling my hair, part of Europe is always with me and I can show it off to the world.

The way that I present myself also reflects a good deal whom I hang out with and what my peer group values. Generally speaking, and this is not the case all the time, I hang out with and around business majors at the University of Oregon. As a business major and someone hoping one day to enter the world of business, the way you present yourself is important. It is vary rare to see someone walking around the business school with tie-dye hair and purple jeans for example. It is a lot cleaner cut than the rest of the world. The friends that I hang around are very similar to me in their appearance, which I find to be common no matter what you look like. We all wear button up shirts, nice shoes, and will not accessorize too much. A watch here and there, or a new haircut perhaps, but generally not something more than that. To summarize the point of this essay, I think that the way I dress and present myself is 100 percent due to my family and my friends. I have never really rebelled against the path I am planning on going and it shows. My friends who are in art school dress much differently than I do, but similar to many of their peers and family members. Your appearance is decided on the path you decide to take in life.

Christian M