Becoming New York by, Grace Rooney
P
eople move to New York City for all different reasons. For some it is the opportunity to be in a major city, whether it be for fashion, business, politics, or any of the other industries that are centered here. For others, it’s the acceptance that comes with a liberal city like New York. For me, it was about all of these things and more; New York has an electric energy that cannot be denied. Choosing to move to New York for my college years was not an easy decision. I grew up in a beach town where the population is equivalent to the population of Tribeca alone. Most people who went to my high school go to the state public school or stay in a close vicinity. When I decided to come to New York, it was a drastic change. It’s a change that many people across the country have undergone, and the daunting aspect of my New York lifestyle certainly wasn’t unique to me. Almost everyone I have spoken to who isn’t from a major city has had
experiences similar to mine. I remember questioning my own sense of style when the girl down the hall (now one of my best friends) told me that she had her closet color coordinated. Another one of my friends said that she instantly felt the need to “step up her game” when she moved here. We felt like we had to be Carrie Bradshaw to be worthy of living here. What I’ve learned in the few months I have been here isn’t to color coordinate my closet or buy more expensive clothing. It’s that my sense of style is important to me, and that is what a New York lifestyle is about. Here, no one cares about what your closet looks like or how much money you spend. What matters is that you love what you’re doing, and that your own sense wof style becomes refined in its own right, independent of anyone else.
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