Bringing wardrobe acceptance to Santa Clara
By Brooke Boniface
One average day this spring quarter I drove out to San Jose State University bring my life long friend Kiri to have breakfast in Benson, the heart of the Santa Clara bubble.
Kiri and I stepped through the double-door entrance and immediately felt the fixed stare of fifty eyes following us through Market Square. Now, as much as I would like to say that this was because I am just so friendly and well knownâ?¦.it wasn't.
People were staring at us because Kiri looked starkly different than anyone at Santa Clara. If her black eyeliner and punk inspired haircut wasn't enough, her outfit was what really put her over the top.
Adorned in all black, her skinny jeans were so tight that they toed the lines of impropriety. And despite the perfect 78 degree weather she was wearing two bulky shirts, one long sleeved with 8 mile written down the armÃ--more suited to Eminem than a 20 year old college female--and the other a cut-off band T-shirt with some sort of red demonic drawing plastered over her chest and back.
Frankly, it was hard not to notice Kiri among the sea of Urban Outfitters, Forever 21, Anthropologie, and J-Crew apparel.
That breakfast was possibly the most awkward experience I have gone through during my two years here. Kiri felt uncomfortable, I felt uncomfortable, yet people continued to stare and comment.
If you haven't noticed during your time at Santa Clara, there is a general "look" that fits most students. Not to say that all people dress exactly the same, but there is much less diversity than you would find if you went to say, University of California at Berkeley.
I personally was shocked when I came to Santa Clara at how many boys wore their shorts at an appropriately high place on their hips. Where I live in Southern California, sagging your pants is the standard method of dress. It is so common to see boys' underwear I had come to think of boxers as just another normal clothing item, as acceptable to see as jackets and socks.
Our lack of variety may have to do with the fact that Santa Clara attracts and accepts a certain type of student. This is magnified after potential students visit and see that they would fit right in with the rest of the student body.
While I am certainly not advocating that people change their personal style just to add wardrobe diversity to our campus, we should make Santa Clara a place that cultivates the diversity present.
It does not matter if everyondresses the same but if one person, dressed differently, feels uncomfortable, that is when the issue must be addressed. We must appreciate the people who have their own personal style that may be out of the "norm."
Kiri should feel comfortable walking around on campus without people staring thinking, "What is she wearing?" Because different can be beautiful and refreshing, it just depends on how you look at it.
Brooke Boniface is a sophomore political science and history double major.