Fashion impacts students’ day to day life and plays a role in how they think about themselves. Fashion trends help to boost self-esteem and supply confidence in the student body.
“Fashion makes me confident even on my bad days,” junior Valerie Sanchez said. “You could feel bad one day and then think ‘my outfit looks amazing.’ Fashion is important to people our age and young adults because of its self expression. Most people care about how others see them and the type of vibe they give off. It is the first impression you make when you walk out of the door.”
Sanchez stays up to date with the fashion trends and explains that social media had an impact on what she wore in 2025. Social media played a role in shaping her style as well as inspiration from movies and her community. She notices fashion trends most often while at the mall and through social media platforms.
“One of the fashion trends I participated in was definitely the low rise baggy jeans,” Sanchez said. “To me, baggy and low-rise jeans looked the most popular in 2025. Brands that seemed to be the most popular were Lululemon, Brandy Melville, Hollister and Adidas.”
When thinking of fashion, a variety of fashion styles comes to Sanchez’s mind. As well as what fashion truly means to her and describing it as more than just clothing. For her, fashion reflects creativity and a desire to both fit in and stand out.
“Fashion is personal; you don’t need to follow any trends to be stylish,” Sanchez said. “You just need to be confident and express what you already have by being yourself.”
Freshman Shaila Roman stated a similar viewpoint as Sanchez on how fashion impacts students on campus. She stated what fashion means to her personally, how the trends differ between generations and what comes to mind when thinking about fashion.
“I think fashion is a form of self expression, but for the people that are restricted to social media they need to find themselves and how they truly want to dress,” Roman said. “When people find themselves and how they truly want to dress, it becomes a way for people to feel comfortable in their own skin and express themselves to others without having to say any words.”
Fashion brings confidence and self-esteem to Roman, and also keeps her grounded by dressing the way she wants to. She not only feels comfortable and herself, but also courage to take on the day.
“When I think of fashion, I think of everyone and their different styles. Pinterest and social media obviously play a big role and it’s a good source of inspiration. I think teens are easily influenced because we’re younger, whereas adults, young adults and older people, find themselves and don’t care about how they look.”
Roman and Sanchez both show that we can be ourselves, wear what we like, and not be fixated on other people’s opinions.
“We shouldn’t be as easily influenced as we are,” Roman said. “And we shouldn’t feel bad if we can’t afford something. Everyone should be able to find their own sense of style and not worry about what other people think nor should we feel judged because we shouldn’t be judged by how we dress.”
