Preppy, People & Punk

Current Fashion ft. Me in London

Okay, so how would you describe your fashion sense? When asked this question, I tend to respond with my fashion is preppy, casual or easy going. My fashion sense is greatly influence today by the community I am living in, the people I am spending time with, what I see in the media and the music that I listen to. Up until the age twelve, my mom planned out all my outfits and styled my hair. I did not wear makeup and I just trusted her (like I had a choice). It was when I turned thirteen that I was (finally) given the responsibility to dress myself and do my hair. My mom also bought me some eyeliner, mascara and loose powder foundation to allow me to start wearing make and achieve a natural look. Unfortunately (read:by the good grace of God), I was unable to find any pictures of me from the time but I will paint you a word picture. I wore grey skinny jeans that were fastened by a black and white checkered belt that proudly displayed Vans on the buckle. I fashioned a “Fall Out Boy” or “Blink 182” band t-shirt, even though I never went to one of their concerts. Every day I sports a pair of once pearly white slip-on Vans that faded into a smoggy grey. The cherry on top to my most fashionable ensemble was my eyeliner that covered at least half of my eyelid and my hair that was fried to the roots from being straightened for an hour every day. This 'lovely' time in my life was influed by three things in my life; my friends, music and puberty.

My friends have always had a huge influence on my life. In middle school (where I know all people have peaked), it was the “cool” thing to be, what we called, punk. My friends and I enjoyed listening to bands that fell under the alternative category and enjoyed the occasional screamo, my favorite being A Day to Remember. This was not who I was but this is who my friends were so of course I gave it a try. I thrashed my head a little and tried to 'scream'. We were influenced by the attired of the lead singers in our favorite bands and hoped that our parents would not yell at us when we asked for another t-shirt that looked like all the rest or purposely put a hole in our jeans.  This was who I wanted to be, but this was not me. My poor family was dealing with the Tiffani that ply cared about my friends, only ever took my headphones out to take a shower and was yelling at my family for every little thing they did and say to me. I have always been the preppy girl who loved pink, played sports more for the social aspect and shopping was more of a passion than a choir. But looking back on it, it showed me how much music can reflect on to a group of people, and that was what the punk movement was about. I was a state of disorder.

ANARCHY: a state of disorder due to acscence or non-recognition of authority (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anarchy). The punk rock movement in the seventies was an absolute rejection of mainstream crass culture and its values. Much of the movement focused on non-conformity, anti-establishment, anti-authoritarianism and free thought. Having never publicly speak about my beliefs, I was drawn to the rebellion of this time but was most intrigued by the fashion that developed with this time and the beliefs. Fashion has been a center point of my life and I appreciate The Sex Pistols use of fashion to express their views and draw people closer to message they were trying to portray through their music. Honestly, this picture is ironic. For starters, Paul Cook, the drummer for the band, is wearing a shirt with the United Kingdom flag. In America, it is easily assumed that when someone is wearing the American flag printed on the shirt, that that person is a patriotic person and is supporting their country. I know in Professor Makey's class, we discussed the importance of flags in England and the United Kingdom and that they are used to display territory dominance in that area. By wearing a shirt with the UK flag on it, it sends the message that the music that he is playing, comes from the whole United Kingdom. Furthermore, it allows someone to interpret that the Punk Movement was not just a phase but more of a lifestyle for many people.