I’ll never forget the feeling I had, just holding it in my hand. It was a trivial item, a gift, a… tube of purple mascara; but to me, it was the spark that ignited the fire. I had just turned eleven when my mom allowed me to pick out a few ‘essential’ items for the first day of sixth grade. Like any other budding tween, my eyes nervously raced across each of the illuminated Target beauty aisles; completely overwhelmed and lost. Where do I even start? How do I put on concealer? Blue eyeshadow- how cute!! Wait what’s a… tinted primer? Filled with a million questions and flustered beyond belief, I had simply decided that I would start wearing makeup next year (I mean, a seventh grader is way more sophisticated than a sixth grader anyway). I had fully accepted defeat when out of the corner of my eye, I saw it. The L’Oreal Miss Manga Purple Pop 383. I had to have it- I mean I really had to. Purple mascara?? Are you kidding me?? From the first moment that I messily slopped it on, I was hooked. I felt an overwhelming rush of confidence that my chubby, 5’3, prepubescent body had never experienced before. It was there, at that moment, that I had my first real experience with fashion.
Flash forward seven years, and it is safe to say that when it comes to makeup and clothing I am not one to shy from colors in the slightest bit. I mean, I legitimately love being extra. Green shimmer eyeshadow with a cherry red liner on my waterline? Love it. Olive suede thigh-highs for my 9 am class? Perfect. 3.5-inch gold hoop earrings while announcing a men’s basketball game? Living for it. But alas, with all great power comes responsibility, and with all great fits come questions. “How do you even have time to look like that? Ugh I’m always just so busy” “You know you have to take your makeup off to practice, right?” “Honestly, I admire your effort. During the season I am always just so tired that I can never force myself to look presentable”.
While most questions are flattering and laudatory (I mean, it feels good to be noticed), it’s almost impossible to ignore the condescending nature of each of them. Each implies that the effort that I put into getting ready in the morning is somehow taking away from my studies, sport, or sleep. Yes, I am a student-athlete here on campus. Yes, I have practice six times a week. Yes, I love hoodies and leggings just as much as the next person. But even so, I am more than that.
This Winter Study, I was enrolled in The Social Life of Fashion in which our entire group composed a basic ethnography of the clothing on the Williams Campus. We were each responsible for interviewing six students, one faculty member, and one townsperson in which we asked each of them a series of questions regarding their fashion habits and tendencies. At the closing of the class, we had come to the conclusion that ‘athleisure’ was the most commonly described style type on campus and that the three most used words to describe one’s style were: casual, comfortable, and simple. Given Williams’ substantive athlete population on campus, it makes sense that athleisure would be the prevailing fashion style. But for a moment, ask yourself: why does this make sense?
I mean, yes, with the busy schedules of most Williams students on a daily basis, comfort can be an absolute necessity. Running from 6 am lifts, to lab, lunch, class, a meeting, and then practice in a leather jacket and skin-tight pants doesn’t always sound like the best combination. But even so, I have several friends (myself included) on campus who simply don’t want to ‘do the most’ or ‘pop out’ for fear of standing out or being labeled as something that they are not. Even at times, if I know I have to go to the training room at some point during the day to receive treatment, I’ll throw on my Nike quarter zip, athletic leggings, and a pair of running shoes in order to avoid wandering eyes and raised brows. Although unwritten, there are rules, regulations, and dress codes for different spaces on campus. For most, the comfort lies in repping a Williams Softball sweatshirt, a Crew t-shirt or a Williams Football hat because that is where the least controversy lies.
But here is where I would like to push you, reader. Although not always desirable, within a lack of comfort there lies growth. So this week, pick a day and be uncomfortable- even if it’s just a little bit. Wear something that’s been in the back of your closet all year, style your hair differently, throw some tinted chapstick on, or tie one of your shoelaces differently! There are no rules in fashion; so even if you have to pull out a tube of purple mascara for a random Wednesday, you might be surprised at how it makes you feel.