Pushing out of one’s comfort zone is often a difficult task. Pushing out of society’s norms is arguably even more difficult because oftentimes, it’s hard not to care what others think. Sophomore Aiden Trujillo-Ranier defies the odds by having a style that pushes boundaries and ignores what may be considered socially expectable.
“I feel most confident when I wear my overalls,” Trujillo-Ranier said. “I feel like you don’t ever see males wear any overalls these days and that’s super interesting to me. Whenever I wear my overalls I always get a lot of odd looks and glances and I find it funny. I find people are often too scared to wear whatever they like and are very judgemental to those who aren’t. Whenever I’m in my overalls I feel like I’m in control.”
Gaining the nerve to defy social boundaries is not something that one is necessarily born with, rather it is something that they learn. In order to do so, Trujillo-Ranier looks up to his brother’s ability to overlook the closed-minded feelings of others.
“My inspiration for my style comes from my older brother,” Trujillo-Ranier said. “He was always a sort of role model for me and he has been a huge influence in how I present myself. He’s the type of person to shrug off anything anyone says about him and do whatever makes him happy. He’s the reason I feel confident enough to paint my nails or wear what I like no matter the assumptions people make about it.”
Additionally, Trujillo-Ranier depends on his mood to influence how he dresses, giving him a “go with the flow” attitude when it comes to his outfits.
“I’d say my process of picking an outfit is based on how I’m feeling that morning,” Trujillo-Ranier said. “If I’m tired or not really in a great mood I’ll just throw on whatever I can find. If I’m in a good mood or I’m excited about the day ahead I’ll pick out something special.”
The expression of personality could be considered one of the most important steps of style. Similarly to how he picks out outfits based on mood, Trujillo-Ranier’s ambivert nature is expressed through boldness one day and subtlety the next.
“My personality is expressed through my style in an interesting sort of way,” Trujillo-Ranier said. “I can be very quiet and reserved if I don’t feel comfortable, but I can also be very vibrant and loud and I think my outfits express that. I can wear black and white one day and something vibrant and colorful the next day.”
