Alfred Johnson | Staff Writer
If you’re walking around campus, one thing you will notice is the lack of styles and options when it comes to clothing. The lack of color in people’s wardrobes does little to make people seem different from one another. Most people you see are either wearing black, blue or gray.
The problem is the more people see the same thing, the more they want to conform. And the more people who fit in, there are fewer people who feel motivated to be themselves.
When it comes to fashion at Hampton University, we all want to say that we have more than what it takes, when that’s only true for a particular portion of people. Everybody wants to wear what everybody else is wearing, and everybody wants to be on the same wave as everybody else.
People don’t realize they don’t want to be different, and they won’t admit it.
This is a new era for Hampton. Not only are we returning from a year and a half of pandemic separation and online classes, but we have two new classes of students who have never experienced campus life.
Masks are getting in the way of meeting people, and being social is more complex than before we left. With people being shyer and more cautious around one another, the Hampton culture is starting to feel broken.
I understand that people are still trying to adjust and get used to life on campus. After all, it is the beginning of the year, but people aren’t encouraging each other to stand out like they used to.
“You got the streetwear people and then you got the bougie Hampton people that wear designer clothes,” HU junior computer science major Christopher Henderson, Jr. said. “Even though I do say those are the main ones, there’s still a lot of people who fall outside of those.”
When we have events on campus such as the fashion shows and the tryouts, people come from all corners to see what people are doing and what they’re bringing to the table.
When it comes to events, people go all out to show what they’ve got and what it takes to be on that wave. Outside of these events, people go to class daily in the same clothes they used to work out.
As much as people talk about presentation, there isn’t too much of that aspect around campus. Unless some people have a display and must be in Ogden attire, there’s little to no effort being brought.
Why not try something different now and then? Everybody likes looking nice. If you have a suit hanging up in your room, which I know most of you do, why not just wear it to wear it? If you usually wear black, try throwing on some yellow or purple.
“The things that you wear are a reflection of yourself,” Henderson said. “I really appreciate the people who take more chances.”
Mix and match with your wardrobe. With the variety of clothes we have, our outfits don’t have to be limited to combinations and color schemes.
We didn’t come out of high school just to be like the next person. We didn’t come to college to be average college students. We did all of this to build ourselves and become individuals without anyone’s influence.
College is the best time and place for you to experiment with your taste and learn more about yourself. Why not try being different occasionally? You might find a new style.
The Hampton Script 