By Catherine Murray
It feels every time I walk down the halls to my next class, there is always someone wearing an outfit that makes me wonder, “Where on Earth did they come up with that?”
My answer: TV Shows, movies, or any pop culture trend that surfaces on social media. With every genre of movie, TV show, and Tik Tok video one can think of, the style of Newtown High School students is expanding, and equally becoming more bizarre. Clothing styles are no longer restricted to athletic, preppy, or skater, rather they have ventured out to Euphoria-esque (inspired by HBO’s hit TV show, Euphoria) and styles that are so outlandish I cannot put a title to them. The truth is, I miss the world of nice, preppy, put-together outfits that wouldn’t make your grandmother shield her eyes.
To address a trending muse for NHS students, Euphoria, a show that follows the fictional (fictional as in, EXTREMELY unrealistic) lives of struggling high school teenagers who are played by 20 to 30 year old actors has definitely influenced the fashion among NHS students. It’s great that students have found an inspiration for their style, though they are influenced by movies and TV shows that have characters with the most extreme problems I have ever heard of and wearing clothing that is far from what should be in an educational setting while dealing with their issues on the show. After all, a TV show about high schoolers who are played by real teenage actors who wear normal clothing and have healthy relationships is not nearly as engrossing as Euphoria has been.
Along with Euphoria inciting the style of the NHS student body and in comparison to the immenseness of styles and aesthetics, social media is evidently predominant in how all students dress. Across social media, it is agreed that there are many forms of aesthetics one can follow, more than a dozen that are popular have been added since your typical preppy, athletic, and skater style roamed the halls years to decades ago. Some of these include VSCO girl style, after becoming a popular trend in the mid to late 2010s, led by social media influencer Emma Chamberlain. The look for a VSCO Girl is typically white sneakers, T-shirts, light-washed jeans, with a scrunchie or shell necklace as an accessory.
Although this style isn’t as popular as it was my freshman and sophomore year at NHS, the well-known look has dialed down to personal touch. In 2022, the more alternative styles that are coming into light are E-Girls/Boys (a grunge, black color scheme with dyed hair, silver jewelry, and fishnets), Soft-Girls/Boys (pastel color palette, pleated skirts/pants, and sweater vests), and a cross between a hippy and grunge (baggy warm or dark colored clothing, corduroy, with crystal jewelry and Dr. Marten boots), all of which started as a respectable style though have gotten more eerie as time goes on.
Occasionally catching sight of these outfits on my Tik Tok For You page, it is no surprise that other students have emerged in these videos and emulated them in their everyday style. Unfortunately, for outfits that involve cloaks, platform snow boots, and other miscellaneous clothing accessories I cannot put a label on, although I believe the inspiration from those outfits come from social media as well.
The clothing choices I wear to school may not be everyone’s cup of tea, though I try to keep a fine line between what I would wear in a casual, educational environment, versus what I would wear to a concert in Manhattan. Again, it is great that NHS students have found an aesthetic they can emulate, though as many great styles come along with trends, there are equally as many that I wish to never see again. Luckily, I will be attending Fairfield University (also known as ‘J. Crew U’) this fall where I doubt I will ever see a dog collar, chain-wearing, all-black outfit in a school atmosphere again.