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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Dartmouth chapter.

Do you ever just style makeover yourself? Like, there aren’t some amazingly gorgeous people who waltz into your life, tear apart your wardrobe, and hand you over an entire new closet like you’re on some fantastical reality show, but…

 

It starts slowly enough. Almost creeps up on you. You stop wearing certain colors, outgrow them like you outgrow hobbies you used to like as a little kid but don’t anymore. (Except for singing randomly in the shower. Can’t outgrow that one).

 

Then, one day, you wake up and you used to be fairly preppy. And suddenly, that just doesn’t appeal to you anymore. The nice, normal, “boring” choices don’t appeal to you so much.

 

Or, they didn’t. Not to me. 

 

I wouldn’t pretend I’m anything close to hardcore punk, but I like messing around with fashion and makeup. I like experimenting with style and switching things up when I’m feeling down because it makes me feel better on cold and gray days. 

Ignore the sword and the random ID badge on the right, or don’t, if you think it ups the look. 

 

I’d grown up on the aesthetic from the right. (Okay, so I didn’t have a Hollywood-perfect outfit put together every time, but it still made me happy to try). Anyone else remember that 2010s time period with all the urban fantasy books and movies where The Bad Love Interest always wore leather and combat boots and rode a motorcycle?

 

So, it’s been a decade since then, no matter! I wouldn’t get a motorcycle, but I’d go from Good Kid aesthetic to The Brooder in no time.

 

Or rather, gradually. I went from flowy cardigans to leather and buttons.

Went from light mascara and gloss to liquid liner and eyeshadow.

 

Went from fake blonde highlights to dyed hair. Really, so many colors I’m surprised I didn’t go bald.

From prom styled persona to your resident discount E-Boi.

And hey, at the end of the day, I guess I just grew out of one style and picked up another. It’s not about the fashion meaning I’ve suddenly become a vampire (though that’d be cool) or it’s a troubled time. It’s natural for humans to have phases. We’re people, aren’t we? And people grow, change, and most importantly, we like messing around with colors. That’s why we like crayons so much as kids. It’s fun just to try something new.

So, in essence, what I’m saying is that it’s okay to try something new. Never limit yourself. And if it’s a change that makes you feel better about yourself, go for it. Life’s too short to be someone’s definition of “normal”. Be bold and be fully you.

And that’s been a wrap with your favorite whimsical pirate who, sometimes, likes talking about fashion. ☺

Sophia Whittemore is a Correspondent for the Dartmouth HXCampus branch. When not working on HXCampus, they're writing webcomics on Webtoons, Pride books for Wattpad, was a staff writer at AsAm News, and has published the "Impetus Rising" series back when they were in high school. Sophia's also a geek, but who isn't?
Aishu Sritharan

Dartmouth '20

Aishu Sritharan is a member of the Dartmouth College class of 2020.