Fashion is the perfect form of self expression

In our society, self expression takes many shapes and forms. From the art of dance to the craft of photography to the beauty of journaling, there are many ways to express yourself that satisfy your needs. However, there is one form of self expression that easily takes the cake.

Fashion is not just wearing a gray sweatsuit, a pair of Adidas Sambas and carrying a $2,030 Louis Vuitton Mini Bumbag to your weekly grocery shopping trip at Whole Foods. It’s about what allows you to be confident, empowered and ready to take on the day, no matter what you wear.

Ever since I can remember, I was always afraid of talking to others, regardless if I knew them or not. Classmates, teachers and even my own family members worried that I was going down an introverted hole.

The idea of having a conversation with another human being sent chills down my spine. But the only thing that would give me a sense of happiness was fashion. Gisele Bündchen’s early 2000s Dior bag campaigns, members of Banda MS de Sergio Lizárraga in matching suits and my parents’ color-coordinated party outfits always took me to a world that made me feel comfortable talking.

At the age of five, I was diagnosed with social anxiety disorder and began to meet with a speech pathologist at my elementary school. These weekly sessions allowed me to see a new form of communication without speaking: fashion.

Even though my parents always honed in on the importance of looking your best (while actively doing it), the pathologist told me that if I wasn’t comfortable with speaking, that this form of self expression would help out immensely. In other words, become the conversation starter rather than starting the conversation.

I started to wear different-colored baseball caps, shoes and shirts in my everyday life, which made me more confident in myself. Afterwards, I began to not just wear fun clothes, but also style them and see how they could be interpreted by others.

With the liberty of self expression through fashion came some unexpected challenges and scenarios. Many people made assumptions about my identities, my financial status and even if I was dressing this way for “shock value.” Because I didn’t dress like other guys, I became a target, which made me reevaluate if fashion was the best means of self expression.

After dressing the exact same as others for years, a moment of self-realization hit me hard. Why am I allowing myself to be subject to others’ words? Why should I care about what they think about my style? These questions, along with Prada and Gucci runway shows, caused me to fall in love with fashion and the meaning of our clothing.

Fashion designers Willy Chavarria, Telfar Clemens and Pyer Moss brought their backgrounds, experiences and innovative ideas to the fashion industry, which is predominantly made up of white designers, executives and staff. These designers solidified that I, as a Mexican young adult, can have as much creative liberty with the way I dress as anyone else.

Now, as I walk through the streets of Evanston and Chicago, I allow the clothes and accessories to do all the talking for me. Vintage, pre-loved and the occasional brand new pieces of art blend seamlessly together and allow for conversations to be held, which is simply delightful.

Whether you like it or not, fashion is the definition of self expression. It allows individuals to try new outfits, have fun with how they look and send messages without saying a single word. Fashion is like a moving autobiography that we wear — it tells people how we feel, what we think and how we can move forward with our day-to-day life.

If we can look up to designers that create masterpieces that receive lots of attention, imagine the smaller, local talents that are constantly pushing the envelope in this industry. Gente Fina, Knitwrth and EFJ Collections, amongst many others, are doing exactly this.

So, if you struggle with wanting to try something new, take that fashion risk — you’ll learn a lot about yourself and those you surround yourself with. You’ll notice how great it makes you feel. Thinking about that childhood dream bag? Get it for yourself, you deserve to wear it with pride and joy.

I know that five-year-old Alexander would be immensely proud that he can not only have great chats with others, but that he allowed fashion to become a part of his life, no matter when, where or what he is doing.

Alexander Hernandez Gonzalez is a Medill sophomore. He can be contacted at [email protected]. If you would like to respond publicly to this op-ed, send a Letter to the Editor to [email protected]. The views expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect the views of all staff members of The Daily Northwestern.

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