In most Southern schools, throw on a pair of loose jeans, lace up some Doc Martens, have a dyed reddish tint to your hair and you might as well be holding a flag and announcing your sexuality to the world. Though schools like UNC are trying to stray away from the gospel of traditional style that so notably categorizes the South, one can’t help but notice the stares and assumptions that arise from nonconformity.
When first stepping foot into UNC and exploring its campus as a first-year student, nothing appeared to be that out of the ordinary in regard to expression. Students were dressed how they pleased and were pleased with how they dressed. Yet as the days passed by, the rumors started and the dots connected. The social standard of full Lululemon outfits, blonde or brunette hair and tennis shoes revealed itself to be more like a uniform than a stylistic choice.
While there’s nothing wrong with this appearance, the problem stems from the fact that “nontraditional” outfit choices started being made out to be more and more unusual; style began having less to do with fashion, and everything to do with personal identity and sexuality.
“In the nicest way possible, if you keep on wearing those cargos, people are going to assume you’re a lesbian.”
This is one of the many examples I’ve heard of people being made aware of the realities of fashion at UNC. To wear cargos is to be gay and in my experience, to have dyed hair, is to be painfully noticeable.
Now it seems as though I’m placing the blame on the students who make these assumptions — that the culprit is rumors fueled by judgements. But in reality, this stems back to the fundamental nature of Southern tradition and value; in a culture long encompassed by religious ideologies and modesty, it’s only natural for these mindsets to translate onto the young adults that have always called the South their home.
The fact is that the demographics of UNC support a very high population of Southern students that yield certain mindsets about socially acceptable fashion. They aren’t used to seeing people with dyed hair and alternative styles because in the entire region of the United States they’re in, these looks aren’t considered proper. Even a quick Google search of “Southern fashion” demonstrates how without a long dress, cowboy boots and a smile, you are not properly dressed up for the occasion.
It would be an exaggeration to pretend that students embody this traditional Southern “dinner with their grandparents” look every day for class, but the point is that though campus fashion is more casual and athletic, it is a social ideal upheld by the majority demographic of this institution.
It isn’t a matter of pretending that out-of-state students are more progressive, all that is being said is that with such a conservative-leaning history comes a conservative approach to style.
