Maintaining Your Identity in Bozeman
Written by: Meena Penny
It may not seem obvious to some Bozemanites, but the trends of styles can be seen by those not native to the city. How we dress is usually determined by our surroundings and personality. Lots of people move to Bozeman, Montana, just for access to the outdoors, so, it is no surprise that people would mainly see outdoor recreation name brands being worn. However, there are going to be some people who do not dress like those who are usually outdoors and those who slowly, over time, adapted to the Bozeman style. I am a good example of the latter because I am not from Bozeman, nor am I that much of an outdoors person.
My first few months of living in Bozeman, I felt comfortable in my style — but when I went to the airport and the Bozeman Transportation Security Administration (TSA) told me to take off my jacket, they gasped and said to cover up. Even though I was wearing a lace tank top. This embarrassed me greatly and led me to slowly start changing my style to fit in with other people in Bozeman. Even if we don’t want to admit it, we all are in some way chameleons. However, do we always have to be a chameleon to fit into the crowd?
After what happened at the airport, it felt as if I had no place of community because no one here dressed like me.
This experience was difficult and put strain on my ability to form a sense of community. I had no one I could effortlessly strike up a conversation with and I couldn’t make friends as easily as everyone else. I began wearing more beanies, ankle boots, flannels, and baggy jeans to fit the Bozeman-esque style. This change of style allowed me to slowly gain more of a presence in the community.
Just like me, Reegan Tigner, a third-year student at Montana State University who grew up in Montana, changed her style when she came to Bozeman. When asking Tigner about what prompted her to change her style, she said it was more of her outside influences.
“When I lived in rural Montana, I definitely dressed a lot differently from how I dress now.”
Tigner then goes on to say, “over time I slowly got comfortable in different things, it’s kind of like trends are cyclical. So, I feel like even if you don’t mean to you still follow those kind of trends”.
However, some people choose not to adapt their style and stay to their original self. El Shaddai Bantu-Jacobs, also a third-year student at Montana State University, grew up in Long Beach, California. Bantu-Jacobs is a good example of this as she has lived in Bozeman for three years and said, “for the most part, I was able to evolve my style in a way that I wanted, but when the weather turns a certain way, I have more of a Bozeman-esque style.” Although, Bantu-Jacobs keeps to her true style without completely getting rid of it. I asked Bantu Jacobs if she has ever received weird glances or been judged for the way she dresses. She responded, “I would say a little bit, because I dress in a more alternative style and a lot of people here dress ‘normal.’” “Normal” probably refers to Patagonia, Carhartt, North Face, Levi’s, etc. These brands are seen everywhere and on everyone in Bozeman.
Bantu-Jacobs defines alternative as “colorful hair, lots of piercings, wearing black, and lots of jewelry.” There are also subsections to this lifestyle that can vary from the definition. For example, Lolita style is very different from her description, it originates from Japan and is highly influenced by Victorian clothing styles from the Rococo period. Based off how Bantu-Jacobs dresses, I asked if she ever has a hard time dressing the way she wants to in Bozeman. She responded, “I would say that it’s a bit harder just because of the fact that the weather becomes harsher, and it stays harsher for most of the time.”
Both Tigner and Bantu-Jacobs agreed that we should dress how we want to dress and not care about being judged. Even though we may think other people care, they most likely don’t. I can relate to this a lot, as it is hard to dress how you want if you are constantly wondering if you are wearing the right thing or if people will judge you for it.
Rather than showcasing my personality through my style, I tend to change what I’m wearing and go with something safe. Even though the Bozeman community is very centered around the outdoors, it is still possible to dress as if you’re not about to go hiking. So, don’t fret and wear what speaks to you. Diversity can help us all be comfortable in our own styles.