Joyful Chic

My family members have never been a traditional style icon. Coming from a conservative religious background that runs generations deep, they was taught from a young age (as was I) that the body was a temple. When I imagine temples, I picture spires, chandeliers, gold framed paintings, and a whole host of gaudy furniture. But to my family, the opposite held true.

Today, as a newly grown woman, I can't help but look to parents and grandparents as a glimpse into my future. While we truly couldn't be more different ideology or expression wise, we have quite a bit in common when it comes to fashion. At first, I found this hard to believe. Me, with blue hair, rainbow sweaters, platform crocs. My maternal grandmother, with khaki capris, cluttered floral blouses, and shoes made for gardening. No one in my family could be mistaken for "fashion forward." But when I looked at function, we all came together. Style, for us, was about purpose and joy.

A few months ago, my grandfather, visited for the holidays. He's a man who likes things 'the way they were.' He's a strong man, a classic father figure, and a caring patriarch. This year his joy was palpable. He couldn't help but show off his 'new' sweater, one that hadn't fit him for many years but was finally his size. It was cream colored and thick knit with hunting patterns along the sleeves and the trim, handmade by his mother decades ago. For him, style was what connected him to his late parents.

For my grandmother, style was what kept her light. I can't remember a single visit where she wasn't wearing a flower print something somewhere on her body. Dangling floral earrings, a brightly floral blouse, even delicately patterned floral shoes. She's like a hummingbird; her movements are light and quick. It seems only fitting then that her clothes could easily attract a hummingbird in the garden she spends most of her time in.

Their styles each reflect something truly beautiful about them and their life story. They have a lot in common. Both western folk, calling the Rocky Mountains home for almost all of their marriage. They're religious; both love God are eager to serve their Savior. They put family first.

My parents aren't terribly glamorous either. It's a gene they didn't have to pass on in the first place. My siblings and I may all have our moments of "feeling ourselves," but at the end of the day, the gene we got follows us so much better than trend setting.

Style is about joy.

I choose to find joy in so many ways when I dress and accessorize. For me, this looks wildly different than it does for my sister, my father, my grandparents. That was difficult at first, especially growing up. Finding my own sense of style, while trying to fit in in middle school or follow a family members example, was exhausting. In all honesty, it's a process I probably still haven't finished.

But I know now that we need to bring back simplicity. We need to bring back functionality. And we need to bring back joy.

No more dressing conservatively for job interviews? That's more than fine. The color of my hair shouldn't limit my abilities in your eyes. No more dressing to hide your figure if you don't want to? Go for it. If baggy clothes feel like the apology for weighing more than a size -2, you are doing fashion wrong.

Style owes no one anything.

In my family, this means the same jean shorts for a decade on my dad. The men's section only for my sister. Handmade garments for my grandfather. Bright colors and eccentric patterns for me.

In the 2020's, media has hit a peak. The last 30 years have been overwhelmingly pressured. Magazines, tabloids, reality tv, social media, and more, have us believing that the key to fashion is fitting in. We need to take today's clothes back to before they were designed with other people in mind.

I can't pin point a specific era or trend to bring back. Plus size people have never been treated well. BIPOC have long had their cultures mocked and appropriated by the 'majority' culture. Women in 2021 have far more freedom when it comes to matters like skirt lengths or neck lines than they have ever had before. But none of this should come at the cost of wearing what you love because it reminds you of yourself.

Your clothes should be functional. They should be comfortable. They should make you smile! This is the bare minimum. No more stuffing yourself into the skinniest jeans possible. No more starving yourself for a swimsuit body.

The only trend we should be bringing back is finding joy in self-expression.