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Cali kids and Harajuku girls

My latest search on Hulu: "Laguna Beach." Even though the show ended ages ago, I have to admit that I still firmly believe it was the best MTV show ever and that I'm still madly in love with Stephen and Talan. No, watching this show doesn't demand too much mental energy, but the actors on "Laguna Beach" have such a well-defined style that it actually got me thinking recently. Why do we wear the particular clothes that we do? Do we prefer certain clothes because they are actually cute, or has the culture we are exposed to shaped our tastes and preferences completely?

I don't know about you, but when was the last time you saw tons of girls wearing shredded denim mini-skirts with Uggs and carrying Chanel purses - like Kristin - or guys looking like they just walked out of a PacSun catalogue. I'm pretty sure if I ever busted out my denim mini and Ugg boots, I would get lots of stares and odd glances on the way to class. And of course there would probably be some girls snickering and whispering as I walked by. So I don't think I'll bust out that outfit anytime soon. And if you're a guy wearing a Billabong shirt, you won't necessarily get odd glances from every passerby, but you'll probably be stereotyped as a Virginia Beach kid. Yet if you were in Laguna Beach a couple of years ago, you would be one of the coolest and trendiest kids around.

Similarly, what about fashion in Japan, more specifically the Harajuku style worshiped by Gwen Stefani? If I decided to rock this Harajuku style one day, I'd definitely make some heads turn. I find it difficult to truly understand or appreciate it, but if I were living in Japan and completely immersed in the culture surrounding Harajuku, would I have a different attitude towards it? Would I adopt the style as my own?

Generally speaking, the University population leans toward the preppy side of fashion. Although it may seem that culture plays a large role in an individual's style, you need to look past the generalizations and look deeper into the intricacies. For example, maybe I'm more of the comfy kind of girl and all I want to wear to class is a sweatshirt, leggings and Uggs. Chances are, though, I'm not the only girl who embraces this attitude, so perhaps another girl might be wearing jeans, a Patagonia pullover and Toms. And what about the girl who always gets dressed up for class, who looks flawless, and of course makes you feel bad about yourself when you wear an old, frumpy sweatshirt? Well, she's wearing a bright, colorful dress from Urban Outfitters with vintage flats that used to be her mom's. Just when you think there's only one stylish girl to make you feel bad about yourself, there's another girl wearing a J.Crew skirt, a blouse she found at Goodwill, cowboy boots and perfect accessories to match.

It would be easy to conclude that each girl at U.Va. dresses like just another prep, but upon closer inspection, you'll notice differences between the girls. These differences show where the girls like to shop, what their favorite color is, whether they like short or long skirts, riding boots or cowboy boots, and the list just goes on.

When we examine these differences closely, we acknowledge that culture does play a significant role, but our own personal preferences come into play when we dress every morning. Although I might be coloring inside the lines here at U.Va., if I went somewhere else, say Laguna Beach or Japan, I would be coloring way outside the lines, perhaps not even on the paper.

So just before I go and think I'm the trendiest person around, the second I step foot into that other culture, there's a new set rules for what's cool that I'll have to follow. Just because I'm wearing a Lily dress, which means I'm the hottest thing around here, doesn't mean I'll be the hottest thing everywhere. Most likely, someone else will think I look ridiculous all decked out in that pink and green. Ultimately, what's cool depends on context, and if you look closely enough at a particular context, soon you'll see the differences that comprise personal style.

Kristin's column runs biweekly Thursdays. She can be reached at k.ulmer@cavalierdaily.com.

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