Money often flies straight from pockets to cash registers as teenagers try to keep up with the latest styles or trends that have been set by the newest teen idols. With T.V., movies and bands promoting different styles, teens closely examine the way their favorite celebrities act and look to them for the ideal way to dress.
“I really like the styles of the bands I listen to,” Brandon “Candy” Cain, ?06, said. “I see the way they dress and it gives me ideas. Music is my life, and it affects me in many ways, including the way I dress. If I see something I like, I might try out that look, but I always try to be me.”
Everything from Abercrombie shirts and Puma shoes to thrift store tees and Converse shoes can be seen on campus. Teens from all over the world throw together rock, pop, grunge, disco, hip-hop, alternative and techno styles with hopes of either fitting in or being original.
“Music has seeped into the fashion mainstream so much that it’s hard to tell the pop stars from the kids on the street,” as Walter Cessna, writer for Papermag, put it. “Music and fashion will always respect and inspire each other, because in both worlds it’s all about being fierce and original” (www.papermag.com/magazine/mag_01/mag_sept01/rock_fashion/p4.html).
Students look up to their favorite bands, and some want to be just like them. Some look at the media and listen to what they say is ?in’ or ?cool’ to wear, while others try to avoid the trendy side of fashion.
“We all try and dress like things or people we identify with, whether it be friends, bands celebrities, models, or whatever,” Holly Deniston, ’04, said. “I try to avoid the mainstream, but sometimes I end up tied in with the other counter culture groups.”
Whether teens are bashing into each other in a mosh pit, singing their hearts out in the front row or dancing wildly in the isles, it is obvious that groups of people who listen to similar genres of music dress alike too.
“Of course music influences the way others, including myself, dress,” Josh Wright, ’05, said. “When you see your favorite band or singer, you want to dress like them because they look ?rad’. Also, when you go to a show of a certain band, you see people dressed like that band or like other bands in that genre of music.”
Molly Sargent, campus dean of women, believes that personal development is an ongoing process, and outside influences, such as celebrities and friends, will have some effect on how people sees themselves and what is accepted culturally.
“The style in which one dresses is such a personal decision,” Sargent said. “It’s a mistake, for example, to categorize all girls who like to show a little of their midriff as having lower moral standards. Different types of clothes are appropriate and acceptable for different venues and environments.”
For more information on our campus dress code policy, go to www.fresnochristian.com and click on handbooks. Parents can also call the office to clarify dress code issues at 297-9464 ext. 128
