Many women and teenage girls alike have experienced both the binding and freeing effects of personal style. We have felt the ways it can make us glow in a crowded room and the way it can make a spotlight follow you when you are desperately trying to avoid it. Take for example Lauren Michelli, student body president, advocate for the rights of all, and the embodiment of “humankind, be both.” She is known for her accomplishments, of course, but the one thing she doesn’t get enough credit for? Her timeless and effortless sense of style. I mean, sure, there are things more important in this day in age than the trendiness of a student, but hey, all the more reason! So let’s take a trip and dig a little deeper into the fashion forward mindset she and many other women show off so well.

How does fashion empower you?

“It’s a way to express myself through my clothes. It is one of the first impressions people get of you and in that way I want to be presented in a way that I feel confident so that my confidence is cast about everywhere. If you feel good in what you’re wearing, then that’s empowerment in itself.”

How does fashion limit you?

“My price range. I don’t like to contribute to fast fashion so I feel limited in my choices because it ruins the environment (“not to be fake deep,” she adds). Often if you’re not going to partake in contributing to fast fashion, you have to pick expensive pieces and its like that ONE piece… then you’re left with no other options than to shop at stores that are slowly ruining the environment. Good quality clothing costs more and I can’t afford it…Ya girl’s on a budget.”

How do you think fashion has changed you?

My fashion has changed WITH me. It’s always been a version of myself and I have been able to grow and establish my personal style. It’s been a long time coming,” she laughed. “But I finally found my footing in what I like to wear.”