Style Divergent: Does our style change with age?

With the recent popularity of Divergent, Emma Strawbridge gives Fashion North an insight into some of the reasons we wear what we wear and how our style changes.

So you’ve heard of Divergent. Veronica Roth’s book-come-film everyone’s dubbing the next Hunger Games. For those who aren’t aware of the hit (and if not, why not?), it’s the first in a trilogy of books by author Veronica Roth. Set in a dystopian Chicago, society is separated into five factions; Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). Every year, all 16 year-olds have to decide which faction they want to belong to for the rest of their lives. The main character, Trish, has a bit of trouble deciding, discovering she’s what they call divergent. In other words, not good.

These factions, I thought, were much like the group pressures we face throughout our whole lives. When we’re born we can’t help what clothes are put on our back; that’s our parents’ decision. Then there’s secondary school, where most of us want to fit in so we don’t get bullied. This resulted in me spending my school years trying to straighten stubborn curly hair and forcing my natural centre parting into a horrendous comb-overesque fringe.

But at around the 16 mark, just like Trish, we leave school and start to develop who we want to be, and how we want other people to view us; whether that’s on the inside or out. Albeit, Trish has to endure treacherous tasks and put herself in constant danger to get to where she wants to be, but it is this notion that made me think.

How much does our style change as we get older, and why? I wouldn’t be caught dead with that side-parting now, middle parting all the way. And I’m no longer trying to tame my curls, but embracing them.

Whereas some people rely on their cliques in school for a particular style, it seems other friendship groups go further and actually dress the same. Beth Gallimore, 19, studying fashion journalism at University of Sunderland, to her embarrassment, was in one of these friend groups, “On a school trip once, me and my friends all wore the same Jane Norman cardigan in different colours; we must have looked ridiculous!” She said she would never dress the same as anyone else intentionally now, but sometimes with friends it does happen, picking up each-others styles is inevitable.

And then there’s sibling dressing. Look at the Olsen twins; in their pre-teen movies they were dressed identically, but now they’re millionaires with distinctive styles of their own. Mary-Kate has her boho look to a tee, whereas Ashley’s more clean cut and sophisticated.

Aaron Strawbridge, a 23 year-old Computing graduate from Manchester Metropolitan university, said that music is what has shaped his style since he was at least 16. However, whereas in school he was more into emo bands like My Chemical Romance and tried to copy their style, now his taste has matured with age and his style is more of his own, but the interest in music is still clear through the clothes he wears. “I want people to know the kind of music I listen to, but I wouldn’t go so extreme now I’m older because I want to be taken seriously now I’m out of uni and job hunting.”

Kelly Osbourne, trying to stand in her parents rock status foot-steps, went through a similar stage with her punky style. However, through time she’s become a bit more feminine, while sticking to her roots with her quirky lilac hair.

Molly McGuire, 19, studying Sociology and Criminology at Coventry University was the typical tom boy in school, playing on all of the sports teams, not bothering with makeup like other girls. She said: “I was never bothered about what clothes I wore because I was into football, so that’s what dictated my outfits most of the time.” But things change. She says she still loves sport, but dressing up for a girly night with friends is just as high on her list of favourites as football is.

“I was a clone in school,” said Emma Lumley, a 19 year-old studying magazine journalism at University of Sunderland, “I bought Mckenzie because everyone else did, not because I liked it.” Emma shows how at school people, especially girls, do what they can to fit in to be popular. I don’t think anyone will be sporting a Mckenzie tracksuit anytime soon though…

Overall, it seems there are a number of things that influence our style when we’re younger, whether we become carbon copies or divergents, just like the book. It could be peer pressure at school or a love for sports or music; there’s always something out there defining what group we belong to. Trish is born into one faction, but knows she doesn’t belong. Leaving means losing her family and possibly her life, I’m just glad we’re not going to be hunted down for wearing our hair a different way for school, although it may feel that way sometimes.