Photos Courtesy of Sofia Romero Campbell ‘21 || Christian Madrigal ’21, Marisela Loreno Cruz ’21 and Mia Delprioria ’21 model their individual styles for Smithie on the street.
With the new school year in full swing, first-year students are acclimating to the environment here at Smith and developing their sense of style as they experience college life.
Christian Madrigal ’21 is a first-year in Hubbard House.
How has your choice of clothing reflected you now that you’re in college?
I am really big on body positivity and self-love. After being at Smith for a few weeks, I find myself wearing clothes that make me feel good inside and out. I notice that my wardrobe is comfortable and practical, but when I wear something that makes me happy or I do my eyeliner it makes me feel more confident. As a first-year I want my appearance to show my personality and who I am as a person. I am meeting so many new people and I want them to see me authentically.
Do you feel like you can express yourself differently through your clothing choices at Smith compared to home?
Yes, I’ll never forget going to Convocation and seeing how confident everyone was with how they dressed. That was a big turning point for me because it excited me to know that I was in a place that was so supportive, caring and loving towards me exploring different style choices in the future. For that reason, I want to continue that culture of acceptance and I am inspired to change up my style and sense of identity through my clothing choices.
Marisela Lorenzo Cruz ’21 is a first-year in Emerson House
Are you surprised by some of the ways you’ve you changed the way you dress now that you’re at Smith?
Yeah, I’ve gotten more comfortable in the way I dress here especially when it comes to wearing a bra. Back home I would always feel the need to wear one because of social and cultural pressures, but here at Smith I am glad that I can be in environment where it’s not frowned upon. I feel myself become more comfortable with my body through my appearance, but in a way it almost makes me scared that I won’t feel as comfortable back home.
Mia Delprioria ’21 is a first-year in Wilson House.
You said you have a casual style of clothing, do you feel like that’s changed now that you’re in college?
I wear pretty much the same stuff as I did before I came to college, but in a way it’s almost enhanced here. I prefer wearing a t-shirt and shorts, but that might only change a little when it starts to get colder. I think another reason why I tend to wear the same clothing is because I didn’t bring that many clothes with me.
Did you feel like you had to elevate the way you dressed going into college?
Not really, in fact once I got here I think it was almost a sense of relief that I could embrace the college-life culture of dressing comfortably. In high school there’s pressure to be more concerned about what you wear and what people think of you, and here I can go to class in pajamas and nobody will give me a hard time about it.
