(It should be noted that some quotes have been slightly adjusted for typos and spelling errors).
What does it mean to dress alternative? Is alternative something a person can just be? It is difficult to give an exact definition for alternative fashion because the title is claimed by a variety of subcultures that take inspiration from music, politics, and visual aesthetics. To oversimplify, alternative fashion is any form of style that goes against the cultural norm. Everyone has heard of the staples of alternative style: emo, goth, and punk. Most of us are even familiar with 2020 subcultures like Y2K revival, cottagecore, and e-girls. But the one thing that all of these styles have in common is “otherness”.
In 2020, “Alt TikTok” brought newfound popularity to alternative fashion and subcultures. At a time of global isolation, young people found community in the safe space for “otherness” created by generations of goths, emos, and punks. Fueled by nostalgia for a world before Covid-19 and social media, the internet embraced the creativity and self-expression of fashion exploration. Of course, not all old-school alternative people accepted the newcomers. Even in the 2000s, emos and punks rejected those they perceived as “posers” or “normies”. Common criticisms were that 2020 Alt TikTok did not understand the political context of the subcultures, the rise in popularity of alternative style meant it no longer served the same purpose of going against the social norm, and it was unfair that new alternative people didn’t deal with the same ridicule as their predecessors… (some points may have been more valid than others). However, overall, most appeared excited by the growing acceptance of alternative styles.
From the outside, the choice to dress alternative might seem strange. Why would someone intentionally “other” themself? To better answer this and other questions, I created a questionnaire and distributed it via Instagram story. Thankfully the alternative Aggies did not disappoint.
One reason why people choose to dress alternative is because they enjoy the freedom of creating unique outfits. Many respondents referred to alternative fashion as a means of self-expression. “I just found that dressing this way made me feel better about myself,” said one Aggie. Another wrote, “I never got to dress certain ways growing up, so as soon as I got to college and started to realize more about myself, I was able to explore more stylistically”. Others described their style as an art form. For example, “I like to DIY stuff and make things. Being able to take those skills and apply it to clothing lets me show my work on the daily basis”. DIY projects are a staple within the alternative community as a whole, particularly political subcultures like punk. I can definitely relate to using style as an art form. There is a certain feeling of accomplishment that comes with dyeing my own hair and receiving compliments on the finished product (I like affirmation, sue me). However, attention from others isn’t exactly why alternative people dress the way they do.
Arguably the main reason why people dress alternative is because they want to communicate something about their identity to others, whether it be an interest or a political affiliation. “I don’t look like the most gay person out there, so personally for me, I find that I want to dress more alternative/edgy so that I’m appreciated more by other LGBTQ+ people,” a respondent wrote. Alternative fashion has always shared overlap with the queer community so it is no surprise that some might use style to share their identity. It is also possible for people to change their style according to their environment or what they want to communicate. Another added, “I can exhibit different facets of who I am through my clothing”.
Although the style has many positive aspects, most alternative people deal with assumptions from those outside their community. Alternative fashion is often criticized for going against the gender binary. As one respondent put it, “I’ve had people wonder why I ‘dress like a man’”. In a similar vein, alternative fashion’s ties to the queer community are accompanied by all of the negative stereotypes of queerness. Some forms of negativity are more violent in nature, such as an Aggie sharing that they “have heard lots of queer slurs”. Or another person writing that “I’ve been told on many different occasions that people that look like me can’t be straight and that I am obviously very queer which can sometimes be feel pretty harmful whenever I’m trying to hide my identity.” Other speculation might just be inconvenient, like “people often assume I’m a lesbian because of my short haircut”. However, the most common experience is that assumptions go unspoken due to the tension surrounding the queer community at Texas A&M University in the wake of the school removing its LGBTQ+ minor.
With this in mind, my final question asked whether alternative Aggies felt welcome at Texas A&M. The question was met with mixed results. The first said, “stereotypically no, I was scared at first when I went out, but I’ve never actually had any negative experiences”. Another explained, “I see a lot more people dressing alternatively in liberal arts classes than the type of classes I have for my major in STEM”. Others theorized that negativity might depend on how someone presents themself. For instance, “from what I’ve seen and heard it’s generally accepted if someone who is female is presenting in a feminine-alternative way, or even someone who’s female presenting in a masculine-alternative way. But I’ve heard comments particularly about people who are male but express themselves in a feminine-alt way and I’ve seen them get stares or be misgendered by other people in my classes”. A shared experience among a few respondents was that they were often the last pick for group projects and regularly found people staring at them.
However, a surprising number of alternative Aggies said they do feel welcomed by their peers — tentatively. One of the most interesting responses I received was, “some people have an easier time “fitting in” to the neurotypical, heteronormative status than others. I think that those people that have an easier time doing so are typically treated better, while those that stick out a bit more may be more dismissed depending on the audience”. Another well-worded response agreed, “I think that A&M is generally a friendly enough place for alternative people if you are not too far from the norm in terms of personality, however, you do have to accept that most don’t find the merit in alt fashion the same way that you do”.
As an Aggie with bright pink hair and a weird sense of style, I would love to see more people on campus embracing alternative fashion. And if you don’t want to dress alternative, that’s okay too! I still recommend connecting with alternative people by asking questions and complimenting them — most of us are happy to answer! Alternative people might seem unapproachable but I think they perfectly represent what an Aggie should be: welcoming and accepting.
A special thank you to everyone who contributed to this article! I am sorry if I was unable to include some responses for the sake of time. You guys are the coolest!