I think that how I dress myself today has changed drastically from when I used to dress myself in middle school and high school.  I tend to dress much nicer now, in many ways.  First, I wear clothing that fits me well, which is something I didn’t used to do.  Also, while I still wear graphic t-shirts, they match much better with what I’m wearing at the time, and they are more “grown-up.”  I used to wear really baggy pants, partly because it didn’t matter to me very much and partly because it was in style, so it was just easier.  Now my pants fit me a lot better, and they are nicer brands.  I also have more variety now, so that I can match what I’m wearing better.  As for shoes, they haven’t changed a whole lot, but they have.  I used to almost exclusively wear running shoes in middle school, and in high school I added some skater shoes to my closet as well.  Now, I have a big variety, including a few nice pairs of boots for the winter.  Some of my shoes are much more colorful as well.  In order to put together an outfit for the day that looks good, it takes more effort than it did in high school, but I think that it is worth it.  I generally look nicer and more adult as a result.

I’m not sure if I have personal beliefs influencing my clothing styles.  The only thing I would consider a belief is also a value of sorts, and that is well-fitting clothing.  That is the most major change to my wardrobe and that is what I like most in other people’s dress styles.  I think that people should dress in clothing that is right for their body type.  By that I mean that if you are skinny, then wear skinnier jeans and a jacket that pulls together a little on your stomach.  If you are bigger, then wear baggier jeans and fluffier coats.  Most people recognize that a small shirt on a big person is not the best choice, and I tend to agree.  Dress to suit your body type so that everything fits well.

I make these choices because I want to look nice.  I don’t really identify with the “goth” or “alternative” clothing styles, and I don’t identify with the “jock” styles either.  I think the closest stereotype to my style is “preppy,” but I don’t dress nearly pristine enough to fit into that category either.  Some days I will look more preppy than others, and some days I will be wearing lots of dark colors.  It really depends on my mood and the weather outside, and on what I’ll be doing for that day.

The beliefs in my family were that modesty was important.  They never put an emphasis on dressing nicely.  In fact, my parents don’t dress very fancy at all.  They wear what is expected.  For example, my dad might wear some nicer brown shoes, some khakis and a button up shirt for work.  Casual, but nice enough for what he does.  They don’t wear anything special or anything that will make them really stand out most of the time.  I think that played into my style as well.  I like to stand out some days, but not always.  It depends on my mood.  But it is not a concern of mine when I pick out an outfit most days, so it is a factor.

My peers generally care less about what they look like than I do.  I have a few friends that just put on jeans and a clean t-shirt and call it good.  Others spend time picking out what they wear, but they are not the majority.  A few of my friends would rather spend their money on other things like entertainment instead of clothing, and it definitely shows, but I don’t think less of them for it.  It is just a different priority.  At school in general, there are mixed messages.  Some people will dress very well,  usually girls, and others will dress decently, but some will dress like they just woke up, which is usually boys.  When girls dress lazily, it is usually yoga pants and a sweatshirt.  When boys dress lazily, it is usually dirty clothing that doesn’t match.  It really shows the contrast of effort in appearance.

In the end I think that I am pretty average in how I dress.  I don’t really stand out, other than dressing up a little on certain days.  I definitely have clothing that makes me stand out, but I don’t always prefer it.  I think that I would fit in with most of my peers, and even if I didn’t, a lot of people I routinely talk to wouldn’t care.

Person one looks like he is about 20.  He has thick, black, curly hair and a messy goatee.  He’s wearing almost all black.  He has black work boots on, baggy black jeans, and a torn up black leather jacket that he’s added silver studs onto.  He’s also smoking a cigarette, which looks like it’s just a habit from the way he handles it, and is giving most of his attention to his phone as he walks down the street.

I think that values are something that he thinks a lot about, despite obviously breaking a lot of standard social rules.  If you are going to break that many, it’s on purpose.  My best guess is that he wants to be seen as an outlier, and he doesn’t want to fit into someone’s “standard” assumption of him.  He feels like he needs to identify with the alternative crowd.  He’s white, and is slim so he appears healthy despite smoking.

What does this say about me?  I think that it is something a lot of people would assume if they saw the same person.  He has a visible tattoo on his hand as well, which means he isn’t worried about employment in grocery store or a place like that.  I don’t personally see that as bad, but someone else might.

Person two is a woman.  She looks like she in in her mid 20’s.  She has very pale skin and she’s wearing sandals even though it’s not particularly warm out today.  She has on blue jeans and a green “Oregon Duck” brand sweatshirt.  She’s wearing a mostly white backpack that looks like it’s full of books.  She doesn’t appear to have any visible tattoos, and her hair is falling over her ears, so I can’t tell if she has them pierced.

She looks like a stereotypical college student.  Her values and beliefs appear to be fairly common.  This is something that a lot of different varieties of people might wear.  She cares about supporting her school, or she might care about branding herself with her school, it depends.  I’m not sure what this says about me.  She didn’t have a lot of noticeable identifiers that would make her stand out.  I think that it might say that I think it’s usual to support your school and dress in jeans and a big sweatshirt.  It probably makes me less deviant than person one is.

Person three is another man.  He’s wearing a bright blue t-shirt and dark blue jeans with running shoes.  He’s also wearing sporty looking sunglasses.  He isn’t wearing a jacket, even though it’s cold enough for one.  He’s also more muscly than your average person.  I think he’s wearing the shirt to show off his muscles.  I also wouldn’t be surprised if he was part of a fraternity.

I’m assuming that since he’s wearing a small shirt on a colder day that he just wants to show off.  I could be wrong, but considering that he is dressed in nice looking clothes, I also assume that he could afford a jacket or a sweatshirt if he wanted to wear one.   This probably reflects on me by saying that I think he’s only wearing a t-shirt to show off.  Even if it’s true, it means that I saw him for his body type instead of his person at my first judgement.  To be fair, everyone does this at first glance, but that first glance does leave a lasting impression.