Everyone has a certain style: chic, bohemian, classic, etc. Sometimes, though, these styles can form a fashion rut and it becomes what people expect from us… but what if we changed up our look? We decided to take a fresh approach to our styles and drastically alter our appearances. Each of us picked a new style, opposite of what we normally wear, and dressed in that style for a week to see how others would react and how we were personally affected by the change. Here’s what we found out:

Gissel Campos – “Goth”

For this experiment, I decided to take some pretty drastic measures and dress in a style that is the complete opposite of my usual one – so naturally, I went Goth. On the first day, I was extremely anxious about what others would think of me and how they might treat me. I thought I would get a lot of weird looks and questions about my sudden change. Surprisingly, that didn’t happen. While I did get some stares in the hallway, most of my classmates and teachers made no comment regarding my appearance and treated me as they always had. A lot of people even liked my transformation and encouraged me to incorporate Goth into my everyday wardrobe. Unfortunately for them, I personally don’t like the Goth look. It was fun to be dark and different, and by midweek I was quite comfortable with my look and even forgot all the heavy eyeliner and dark lipstick on my face, but by Friday I was done. I was ready to go back to my colorful clothing, sparkly jewelry and playful accessories. Ultimately, despite the funny reactions and compliments, Goth is just not me.

Dominika Brice – “Gangster”

The toughest part of putting on different clothing was trying to figure out an entirely different style. I have never thought so much about how my clothes would be perceived; I have never been as concerned for how others would react to my choice of style. But it was similar to an acting challenge, since the persona definitely comes with the clothing.

Since gangster is a very broad term, trying to find clothing that fit the description proved to be very difficult. I had to search for clothes anyway I could, from my brother to my dad, I even turned to my old ski sweaters. The reactions from my classmates and teachers weren’t as dramatic as for others doing the same experiment since I incorporate a hip-hop element to the style I wear on a day-to-day basis, but most did notice a difference. Some negative comments I received were, “Why are you wearing so much jewelry?” “Do you always wear boxers?” or “I haven’t seen you wear sweatpants since freshman year!” Why do people judge each other based on the clothes that they wear? Some of these statements could have been perceived as very evasive and rude. Making assumptions about others simply because of the clothing that they wear is a ridiculous concept, but having an excuse to sit in my classrooms with warm, loose clothing was not that terrible.

Juliana Ferraro – “Jock”

I was anxious to hear what people would say about the drastic change of my outfits throughout the week. I had never dressed like I lived on the field. Sneakers, joggers, athletic shirts – they’re not in my closet. I had to borrow clothes from friends who are on every sport team imaginable, which is the complete opposite of me. The first day was the most drastic change for me. Friends, even a teacher, commented on my new appearance. “You look like you’re ready to direct traffic,” “Did you run this morning?” “What’s with the sneakers?” These remarks were thrown at me throughout the week. I realize people were caught a little off guard, I realize I don’t normally dress like that;  I realize no one was expecting it, however, I don’t understand why people don’t see me as athletic. This week helped me realize that stereotypes about people are heavily based on their appearance. Throughout my life, I’ve participated in dance, swimming, track, softball, ice hockey and I’m a pretty intense pingpong player. To me, style choice and hobbies don’t correlate. I may not dress like I’m into sports, but man do I love being active. Incidentally, I discovered dressing like an Olympian gave me maximum comfort while sitting through the long classes in school.

Alexa Baer – “Prep”

I would describe my style as comfortable and easy. I wear dresses because they require minimal effort when it comes to planning an outfit, yet  it still looks like I put in effort. I chose to go prep for a week because I thought it would be cool to look nice for a week (and prep doesn’t involve nearly as much makeup as goth). My inspiration for my look came from Taylor McKessie (Gabriella’s best friend in High School Musical). I tried to look like her but I think I just looked like I belonged at King Low Heywood Thomas. People usually had one of two responses: “You look nice today” or “Why do you look like a school girl?” Some people that knew about the social experiment also said that prep looked good on me, and I agree. Going into the week I thought that I would feel weird in the new style all week but it actually didn’t feel that weird. I kind of liked the style and I thought it fit. However, prep was a lot of work. Not only did I have to pick out the outfit the night before and try it on to make sure it looked good, it also took me longer to get ready in the morning. Honestly, I like my sleep better than I like looking cute as a  prep, so as much fun as it was, I think I’ll stick to my minimal effort dresses and denim.

As it turns out, we were all nervous about altering our appearances, but ultimately learned that others’ opinions of us don’t matter more than our own. We encourage anyone who is thinking about changing up their look to do so confidently and not let their anxieties hold them back – we broke the ice, so feel free to go ahead and show others who you really are. It might feel a little weird at first, and it might take a little time for others to adjust to your new look, but your true friends will still accept you, and you will feel more comfortable and better than ever in no time.