“If I’m turning heads, I’m doing great”

Juan Miguel Ebalo: “Fashion has definitely shaped me as a person, I had a sort of epiphany during the pandemic where I realized that it was going to be my senior year and I wanted to show my growth as a person since sophomore year. I felt like fashion was the best and most authentic way for me to reflect that growth. I told myself that if someone looks down at whatever I’m wearing, then it’s a job well done because if I’m turning heads, I’m doing great. My fashion has changed dramatically over the course of high school, since I used to suppress my fashion in fear of being “too much” or bringing attention to myself. But now, especially as I’ve grown to be more comfortable with my sexuality, I’ve realized that I want to do what feels good to me, and what makes me confident.  I’m now president of the Fashion Club, and my goal for this club is to create a safe space for people to just enjoy fashion and the empowerment it gives them. Dougherty can have a really pressuring environment, so I wanted to have Fashion Club be a break from that, where members can come and wear what they want without any toxicity or judgment. We have meetings where we talk about sustainability and do different activities to show different types of fashion in hopes of exposing and encouraging our members to try new things with their own fashion. We also encourage people to try more sustainable ways to shop like thrifting or buying items on Depop to decrease the amount of clothing waste that impacts our environment. For people that are a bit afraid of branching out and attempting new types of fashion just remember to do what makes you feel confident, since the important thing is to stop thinking about if other people might judge you.”