Opinion: Style of dress doesn’t make you who you are

Emily Prestwood
Ranger Reporter

To all Pinterest addicts, accessory lovers, bargain detectives and glamour divas, this one is for you.

A certain population in America craves items such as fresh leather boots, rich fingernail polish colors and bold, chunky purses. They are addicted to the adrenaline rush associated with strutting a new outfit, and they know it. These people drive our fashion industry and tell America what their closet must look like.

From high school popularity contests to awkward first impressions, these fashion powerhouses let America believe that fabric stitched together is a person’s identity.
I would not call myself an all-out fashion queen, but I definitely love to follow the latest trends and create my own chic style.

So here is my fashion tip of the week.

• First, mustard yellow, maroon and navy blue, along with oversized clutches and leather jackets, are in.
• Second, what a person wears does not have to define who he or she is.

Personality is a beautiful thing that should not be wasted. When people let clothes speak for who they are, they are being lazy and wasting potential. People have unique gifts laced throughout their personality that can enable them to succeed in various environments. A white shirt, on the other hand, is just a white shirt. It has the ability to pull an outfit together, but it never can tell the world all about the character of the person who wears it. One’s style should accent his or her unique personality, not replace it.

In a job interview, a potential boss will study and mentally critique the posture and attire of the potential employee. The applicant will want to have dressed up in order to make a good impression. In order to get hired, however, the applicant is going to have to do more than dress nice. He or she is going to have to possess the perfect personality to succeed on the job. If the potential boss judged the applicant only by what she wore, then the boss could mistakenly hire a shy person to greet at the front door. The shy applicant will look good but is less likely to attract more business. That could destroy the potential of both the shy person and the company that could have been found in other departments and with different employees.

My challenge for those who read this is not only to rock the latest fall style but to let your personality truly speak for who you are.