Is keeping on top of the trend game important? Does a person's style change depending on what's considered 'in'? Does it really matter to anyone else what you wear as long as you like it? These questions have bothered me most of my life, ever since I started picking out my own clothes. It's a struggle for most people to find their style in life and for me it was no different. I remember the first time someone commented on my clothes, the first time I changed someone's opinion of me because of what I wore. I was twelve. I had bought my first pair of flared jeans and I wore them on my last day of primary school with a navy 'Diesel' (not real Diesel) top. Girls in my class started to take notice of me, compared me to my best friend at the time who had a penchant for brightly coloured linen. I was suddenly acceptable to them, she was not. They could over look my friendship with her because of what I wore. At the time I was flattered, the 'cool' girls who smoked after school and hung out with boys liked me. Nothing else had changed, I still read Harry Potter (was not as popular in my school back then), I still played imaginary games with my best friend, I think I still even believed in Santa. But I was socially accepted now, because I dressed well, in their eyes at least.
This idea stuck with me through a lot of secondary school. I wore clothes that really were less flattering than others on me because it's what everybody else wore. O'Neills tracksuit bottoms, Dubarry's with my school uniform are just some of the local trends I experimented with. Now I wasn't a slave to this, thankfully, but I now realise I was a follower of trends. Some of them at least. I would worry what to wear to parties, thinking my clothes were dated and 'uncool'. Even my friends now, who were my friends back then (we were the slightly 'arty' group) say that it's nice to see me open up and not be so afraid of what I say or what I wear and to just be me. Funny thing is, two years ago (well into college when I finally started to dress how I wanted) I bumped into one of the 'popular' girls from my secondary school days on a night out. She was gushing! Couldn't get over how much I changed and how amazing I looked. I turned to my boyfriend and asked do I look different since leaving school, thinking that I hadn't really. He answered with a simple 'yes'. I was still me on the inside I just started to show it fully on the outside.
Just goes to show that what everybody else likes doesn't necessarily mean it will work for you and sometimes it's better to follow what your heart in these situations. It brings out your true personality and your true beauty.
So follow trends, not because they're hot right now but because they say something about you.
