Walking in the halls, you might see Grace Yang (11) with her bright pink hair, ruffly silhouette, ripped tights, pink Uggs, baby doll top, beaded jewelry, and colorful hair accessories. 

Her look is something that she actively curates. After a trip to China last summer, Yang discovered Yabi, a Chinese youth subculture, in which she draws inspiration for her clothing choices. Yabi and Yang alike focus on a maximalist style, stressing the intricate details such as thigh-high socks and baby-doll makeup. 

However, she didn’t always dress in colorful and extravagant ways, Yang used to wear more basic clothes before her trip to China and since then, has evolved her style into something more outside of the norm. 

“I feel like a lot of my [wardrobe] change was mostly because of my visit to China,” Yang said. “All of the cool girls had the best clothing sense and I knew I needed to step up my game.”

Following her recent trip to China, Yang  has added 11 new tattoos to elevate her style. Her most meaningful tattoo being the heart that she got in memorial for her cat who passed away. Her other tattoos were purposefully placed on top of scars so that she has more confidence wearing clothes that show skin.

“The biggest part of how I resonate with myself is by trying to match my clothing with my tattoos,” she said. “I feel that getting tattoos makes me more confident.”

However, her confidence wasn’t always like this. Building up the courage to wear what she wanted was something she had to work on. 

“Last year, I was more insecure than I am now so I would really just wear oversized clothes all of the time,” Yang said. “I know I don’t look like the rest of the people here so I think a reason why I dress like this is to be able to feel worth it to be authentic to myself even if I stand out. I used to think that I couldn’t catch a guy’s attention if I dressed up like every other girl here, but now when I look back, I don’t do it for the men. I think now, I do it for the girls because it is so fun talking to them about fashion.”

Yang said her trip to China inspired her to dress differently. 

“I really love how they do everything over there and I love how they express themselves,” she said. “Over there you could wear a full-on dress, umbrella, and cat ears, and not get hated on at all.

Yang said that by keeping large appearance changes, such as getting new tattoos and changing her hair color, to herself, it gives her more freedom to do what she wants and wear what she likes.

“I don’t really care about anybody’s opinion,” she said. “I always keep big changes to myself and do it and then come to school. Sometimes I forget that it’s weird to have tattoos and pink hair in high school, but I know that even if people view me in a way, I don’t really care.”

As opposed to Yang who has a more girly look, Kya Marso (12) describes her style as bold, flashy, and a little bit extra, relying on themes such as animal print, darker colors, fishnets, and piercings. Marso said that this style is a method of connection with her community.

“I think that my fashion is a good way for me to express my relationship to the local punk scene in San Diego,” she said. “We all like similar bands and the community consists of people who have the same kind of things that they want for the community. We like the same music and we get together and mingle to get to know each other. Part of my style is what connects me to this community.”

Marso said that she is happy with her style since it authentically reflects her. 

“My style makes me feel like myself,” she said. “It’s kind of comforting in a way. It’s like a comfort blanket and even though it may not look so comfortable, my style is something that makes me feel me.”

Although sometimes she gets looks for her style, Marso finds solace in the fact that being young is temporary and so expressing how she feels is the best way to be her genuine self.  

“A lot of people think I dress too extra and too flashy because a lot of the time I wear shorter skirts and shorts,” she said. “You’re only young for so long so you have to dress how you want to dress now.”

Sora Page’s (12) closet mostly consists of oversized comfy, baggy clothes, streetwear, vintage items, muted colors,  silver jewelry, and her most iconic item: jorts. Page said that she prides herself on her sustainable clothing choices, usually choosing to shop at secondhand stores and small businesses. 

“I usually thrift and shop on Depop because I hate consumerism,” she said. “I feel so guilty if I buy stuff online so when I do buy stuff new, it’s usually from a reputable company like Patagonia.”

When choosing clothes to wear, Page said that she tries to not compare her style to that of her peers.

“I wear clothes that make me feel comfortable more than anything,” she said.  “I try not to compare my style to anybody else’s and I definitely don’t pick out my clothes just to stand out from other people.”

Although being different in their clothing choices hasn’t always been easy, Yang, Marso, and Page said that they all have found their way to embracing their style. 

“I’m comfortable with myself,” Marso said. “I want to be different because I am different.”