I guess everyone can relate to going through phases in life. Some periods you reflect upon seem so distant and unlike anything you would ever consider doing now.
The journey of life.
In highschool, style was high on my list of priorities, or at least what I then defined style to be. Now, the thought of going to the mall gives me lower back pain.
Recently the connection between the outer expression(clothes) and who one is on the inside has resurfaced as noteworthy…at least in theory.
In practice, my outward adornment has at times fluctuated between the impression of near homelessness to that of a wanna be scholar.
I’ll give you a recent example of where I’ve been in the style department.
Last week I accompanied an aunt to federal court to celebrate her becoming an American citizen. My grandmother, along with a couple other family members, came along to celebrate.
Lets just say my cousin kept explaining(jokingly apologizing) to a couple of the guards that I thought we were going to the beach. You sort of stand out in a room of 100 plus formally dressed foreigners, when you are hobbling around in slippers, shorts, and a t-shirt.
Don’t get me wrong, I was fine. Rather comfortable if you ask me. But after relfecting on a particular elderly Caucasian guard, who felt it necessary to continuously reinnact LL Cool Jay impressions, accompanied with spontaneous hoola hoop like dances, while sporadically calling me bro, and commenting on him being more “black” than his fellow black co-worker, I had to think.
What’s going on here? I mean the guy meant well, and he had us all laughing. And i really wasnt intending on turning this into an analysis of the various assumptions people make based on race(Maybe another time). But the experience did make me think about what people see when they see you, and how that may or may not make them respond.
(On second thought he did stick up for my attire, when he jokingly told my cousin..”don’t playa hate, congratulate”)
Maybe I’ve been so in my head lately that I’ve underestimated the importance and significance of what is communicated when the outside world sees you.
After watching the video below, it also reminded me of how one can strengthen a substantive inner philosophy, by how you are dressed, and also caused me to re-access my understanding of the full definition of style.
Style: The way in which something is said, done, expressed, or performed…
Check out Dr.Cornel West being interviewed by Prepidemic.com on the matter of Style. He puts a bit more meat on the topic, and caused me to rethink somethings. Feel free to weigh in with your thought in the comments.
Hmmmm….Maybe a serious style makeover is in order?
Written by Veron Graham
Topics: Blog