Hello, Fashionistas/os! My name is Tyler Crowell, and I’m about to start my spring semester as a freshman at James Madison University! I am currently majoring in Communication Studies and I plan to minor in British Media and Communications, as well as Women and Gender Studies. I am also involved in my sorority, Delta Gamma, as the Director of Senior Programming and Pursuits.
One of the most important parts of who I am is the fact that I am deaf/hard of hearing. I have a hearing aid in my left ear and a cochlear implant in my right. Without either of these gadgets, I am 100% deaf. Due to a series of decisions when I was diagnosed at five years old, I remained in the mainstream public school system and took speech lessons. Whenever it came time to get a new hearing aid, I never saw it as something that only functioned as a way to help me hear, but something that was an accessory (right now, it’s hot pink). When it came time to discuss getting a cochlear implant, all I could think about was what colors I would pick out for it. Some might find this shallow, but I believe it’s probably one of the best ways of approaching any kind of disability, which is finding a way of making it a part of your identity and not having it take over who you are.
Fashion, to me, is art. I am constantly inspired by my peers, celebrities and my surroundings. Because of this, I can’t put myself into any kind of box. I could define myself as a preppy soccer mom one day, and then feel more of a Seattle grunge vibe the next. I feel a pull to J.Crew, Free People, kate spade and Topshop. I see myself as a fashion chameleon, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
