This piece was also published in The Echo Magazine 24.1.

Fashion is always one of the most popular trends, especially in high school. At Neuqua Valley, this is especially true since everybody has a different sense of style. No matter what gender or age, all students have a great fashion sense, and it’s the diversity that makes the fashion at Neuqua so amazing.

I asked some questions to people about what stores they shop at. Pacsun and H&M were the most popular options, especially among the girls. Hollister, Brandy Melville and Urban Outfitters were also very popular. Everybody has a different criteria for the store they shop at.

Both junior Jason Benguche and sophomore Samantha Weyandt enjoy thrifting, mainly because of its high quality and low price. Students have found a way to shop for recycled old clothes, beleiving that “it’s the most sustainable way to shop.”

I also asked people what color they like to wear the most. Most people said they like to wear more neutral colors, such as black, white and grey, while others favored pink and light blue.

Benguche says, “I used to really only wear what other people wore or what was considered trendy. I started watching a lot of early 2000s and 90s skate videos or movies, so I kind of started looking for that clothing.”

Along with fun styles and shops, there is also some controversy when it comes to cloth

ing. One of the major conflicts is the difference between the clothing of different genders. I personally feel as if there is a big difference between the clothing of boys and girls, and many times they feel like they don’t want to mix clothing styles with each other. Others also expressed their opinion on this matter.

Weyandt notes: “I see a pretty large gap between the boys and girls’ fashion at Neuqua. I think this is because a lot of girls have the benefit of being able to express androgynous fashion traits, whereas men are pinned to a certain societal standard and it can be difficult to break that standard.” She believes that girls have more of an advantage as they are not pinned by social norms.
The dress code also seems to be a huge controversy because some girls think that dress codes, in general, are sexist. Sophomore Aditi Cherukuri says that the current Neuqua dress code is outdated because “what has been appropriate for girls to wear has changed over time. Before, showing your knees was an issue, and now it’s not, so the same thing should be done with shoulders or any other body part.”

However, she also believes that students should be able to wear whatever they want, and they shouldn’t be restricted by a code.

The free dress in our school is another topic that creates controversy. While some think it is nice to be free with clothing, others think that uniforms would get rid of the social controversy of style. This includes the gender dispute and concerns with the dress code, alongside some other issues such as clothes based on popularity and freedom of expression with style.

Others do believe that the school lets people express themselves by wearing anything they want, and they think it increases confidence. Weyandt also says she “feels free” in school to wear whatever she wants and that the free dress does not affect everyone in a negative way.

Overall, the style at Neuqua is very diverse, and everyone’s standards of good clothing is very different. Some want to be trendy, while others want to be comfortable. Some prefer certain articles of clothing. No matter what their style is, everyone at Neuqua has a place to feel comfortable wearing whatever they want.