¡Bon dia! My name is Jenny Bryan, and I am a sophomore at the grand ol’ University of Georgia (go Dawgs!). My current battle plan is to study Fashion Merchandising with a minor in Sociology; cross your fingers that this lands me my dream job as a personal stylist or visual merchandiser (my back-up plan is to pursue competitive eating.) This is my first semester writing for CollegeFashionista, and I can assure you that I haven’t been this excited since The Lizzie McGuire Movie came out.
Here are a few quick facts about me: my style in a nutshell could be described as “John Bender meets The Baby-Sitters Club meets Vanessa Hudgens at Coachella.” My top style icons are Rihanna, Cher Horowitz and Michelle Obama. I’m a thrifting aficionado, love breakfast foods, all things ’90s and worship Valentino. I’m also a sucker for a cheesy pick-up line, but you didn’t hear it from me!
Cue the groans as I take you back to the start of my fashion career at the tender age of four. My parents signed me up for preschool soccer, and unlike the other kids, I was less interested in making goals and more interested in my leopard combat boots taking the place of the cleats I would never get. What I lacked (and still lack) in athletic ability, I made up for in style.
By age six I was getting all of my inspiration from my first style icon, Junie B. Jones, and by age nine I was accessorizing my camouflage Limited Too gauchos with sparkly scrunchies in my hair and on my wrists.
Middle school and junior high helped me reveal all of my fashion alter-egos, from punk rocker to sickeningly sweet girly girl. High school only made way for more fashion bombs as I snatched up any opportunity to wear a costume, like the mermaid costume I sewed and wore to a school dance or a crazy vintage dress. Now here I am, almost 20 and still known for wearing quirky combinations of overalls and platform shoes or the occasional hot dog suit. To me, my ever-changing style (and a costume every now and then) is all part of the fun that is life.
As I continue to grow and become less mindful of what others think of me and more mindful of what gives me joy, I urge others to do so too, especially with fashion. Far too many people are concerned with the opinions of others and let it affect the way they dress and express themselves. I’m eager to explore the beautiful UGA campus in search of my stylish peers, and even more stoked to deliver inspiration every Monday encouraging each and every one of you to do and dress whatever and whichever way you like! Life is too short to worry about constantly pleasing or impressing others. You do you, Fashionista (or Fashionisto!), and wear that velvet jumpsuit to the grocery store…heck, you know I will!
