Playing Dress Up

For many, childhood dolls and playtime dress-up served as a gateway into a fashion obsession. Through Barbie’s hot pink ensembles and Bratzs’ platform heels, a fashionforward seed was planted.

We didn’t feel clumsy or uncomfortable clunking around the house in a party dress and a pair of heels. Instead, we pictured ourselves on a glamorous runway strut for an exclusive audience of stuffed animals and maybe the family dog– if you could get them to sit.

Perhaps it was simply the independence that drew us to it, but the excitement of having complete control over our outfits for the first time was addictive. For many of us, dressing up and styling our dolls was our indoctrination into the world of fashion.

We rummaged through our closets to assemble the most eccentric, colorful, glittery outfits we could find. Nothing was out of the question. We begged to go to school in our princess dresses or the store wearing a pair of fairy wings.

We interpreted odd looks from strangers as glances of adoration for our carefullycrafted outfits, and it felt amazing. At a certain point in our lives, we recognized those odd looks as negative. We were forced to trade in our plastic heels and party dresses for a sensible shoe and outfits that feature considerably less tulle.

Nowadays, fashion feels severe. Of course the fashion industry has never been a stranger to pressure or judgment, but with social media integrating itself as fashion’s central hub, it’s begun to feel like everybody is watching everyone else’s outfits all of the time.

Even in our daily lives, it can feel like there’s no room for error in styling. Many feel pressured to stick to one chosen aesthetic or wear whatever is trendiest at the time, not necessarily because they feel drawn to it, but because it’s socially acceptable. Going back to our roots of playing dress up may be exactly what is needed to pull us out of these creative ruts. Though this time around we likely won’t be reaching for a tiara or magic wand, playing with both fashion and our boundaries allows for experimentation of a variety of new styles to find the aesthetics we resonate with most.

Playing dressup can be done any way one desires– just like when we were kids. It has no rules, no ‘rights’ or ‘wrongs.’

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One can choose to slowly integrate new styles into current outfits, swap out mundane pieces for bolder options or fully commit to maximalism, debuting a new style each day. Inspiration can be taken from anywhere. Pinterest, passersby on the street, vintage styles, even the Barbie and Bratz doll outfits our younger selves envied.

Odd looks from strangers should no longer be feared, but celebrated as compliments for one’s fearlessness to be unique and eccentric, even if this is not the intention. Through individually styling, we eliminate the strict and limiting rules of fashion in order to allow us to find our essence.

We can re-immerse ourselves in fashion from the refreshing perspective of our younger selves. It takes us back to discovering independence for the first time and applying that to how we express ourselves through clothing.

Playing dress-up encourages us to dress as not only who we are, but who we want to be.

Writer: Justice Seay

Style: Samiyah Wheeler and Mackenzie Haupt Photo: Milan Lazovski and Trina Fiebig Style: Samiyah Wheeler and Mackenzie Haupt Glam: Ev Campau, Ava C and Andie Bahm Photo: Milan Lazovski and Trina Fiebig

Models: Hannah Finstrom, Sophie Abejean and Denille Reid Glam: Ev Campau, Ava C and Andie Bahm Models: Hannah Finstrom, Sophie Abejean and Denille Reid 11