Walking around campus this year, you may have noticed an increase in style. Whereas a
sweatshirt, sweatpants, and Nike running shoes used to be the go-to look for most, it has
become less common in recent years. Students are instead opting to throw a flannel over the
outfit to spice it up or wearing a pair of jeans or khakis to elevate an outfit. Athleisure brands
like Nike and Lulu Lemon are no longer the only brands known on campus. Vans and Adidas
clad almost everyone’s feet and people proudly sport fashionable items from a Tommy Hilfiger sweatshirt to a thrifted graphic tee.
Mizzou student Katie Bradley noticed a similar phenomenon sweeping the men on her
campus.
“When I go out, I see more guys wearing jeans or khakis instead of sweatpants,” Bradley
said.
However, male students Keagan Fitzgerald and Alex Stoker at Mizzou and Ball State
disagree with Bradley.
“Girls at Mizzou usually wear casual clothes during the day, and then dress in dressier
and/or more revealing clothes for bars and frat parties,” Fitzgerald said.
Stoker has noticed even less of an interest in fashion for girls at his campus. “I would say
girls overall are dressing up less because they aren’t in class for seven plus hours like in high
school, so there’s less of a reason to,” he said.
What is it that has suddenly made people want to start dressing better and why is the
shift seen more for guys than for girls?
Current pop culture idols could be the cause. Famous artist such as Kanye West, Odd
Future, and Tyler the Creator have all cultivated a second coming of skater culture. The current trend is a revival of the “skateboarding lifestyle” that was popular in the 90s with followers sporting Vans, flannels, jeans, or khakis instead of sweats. Even guys who have never stepped foot on a board are hopping onto these trends because they are easy to adopt and incorporate and still comfortable.
This could also a reason as to why the shift is seen as less present for the average
college woman. While the skater look may seem like dressing up for men, by the standards of what “dressy” typically means for women, the skater look would be dressing down. Take Billie Eilish and her recent rise in popularity for example. She too dresses in the street wear and skate revival look but does this by wearing baggy sweats. While the average college girl may be dressing on trend, this still may be seen by others as not dressing up.
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