Often described as the years to ‘find yourself,’ you arrive at uni expecting to discover who you truly are; instead, you find yourself wondering where everyone got the memo to buy the same jacket. From your first outing to the freshers fair, mobs of Tom Trunks spring up, leaving you wondering why you didn’t receive notification about this unofficial uniform. Slowly, it becomes apparent that how you dress, talk, and brand yourself determines your friends and your identity at university.
In the digital age we are constantly bombarded with content of other people’s ‘perfect lives,’ leaving us feeling discontent with ourselves and often striving to have a piece of that ‘perfect’ world. Whether it be a hairstyle or a new L’Occitane hand cream. And before we know it, we end up somewhat basing our personalities off of something resembling ‘cool girls on TikTok.’ Making authenticity feel distant and not something achievable due to the level of influence others have on our lives. Leaving mantras like ‘be yourself’ becoming empty words that are better placed on a mug rather than at the forefront of our minds.
Like many people here, I stumbled upon the ‘Edinburgh uni girl aesthetic’ side of TikTok and scrambled to get my hands on the latest Mink a Dink blouse. Instantaneously believing these items were cool without reflecting on whether they are actually something I wanted or simply something they wanted to be seen in.
Despite a cute purchase here and there seeming like a harmless treat, the pressure to rebrand before uni has us rethinking our entire personality before we even step through the Pollock gates. Although we as humans crave a sense of belonging, especially at the outset of uni, we must be careful not to fall into the trap where influence unassumingly becomes conformity. This shift from a cute aesthetic to an identity we hide behind prevents us from exploring our own multifaceted selves. In turn, delaying us from finding true connection and the people who like you for you and not your outfit, accent, or background.
Uni is clearly a place where people become very good at copying everyone else, leaving us asking how much of these crucial years of self-development is actually discovering new ideas and how much it is learning which version of yourself will be most accepted. Although it is scary to stray from the crowd and be true to yourself, a more frightening thought is getting to the end of your degree and realising that you haven’t found yourself but have in actuality just become someone else. Leaving you no wiser than when you started; and down hundreds of pounds spent on niche London fashion brands.
Despite seeming insignificant, making the active choice to be authentically yourself doesn’t just impact your personal growth, but begins to reshape the entire student population, making Edinburgh a more diverse, honest and innovative student body. It also goes further than this, as when one person breaks this trend, it becomes less intimidating for others to begin to follow.
So next time you’re tempted to buy another Ralph Lauren jumper or over-enunciate the ‘a’ in “avacaaado” in an attempt to prove your belonging, ask yourself: is this really you or does it simply reflect the impression you want to make?
Image by Lily Croucher for The Student
