In a recent conversation in the football locker room with a teammate from Minnehaha, I was reminded of just how similar guys at Blake dress. It seems that the vast majority of us wear a somewhat similar outfit with khakis, one of several brands street shoes (e.g. converse, sperry, adidas, NMD, Ultra Boost, etc.) and shirts and sweatshirts tend to vary more, but often fall in the Patagonia or Vineyard Vines pullover range when it’s cold.

Blake doesn’t have a uniform and yet many of us tend to conform to an unwritten dress code and dress very similarly, but why? I’ve decided it’s because many of us are afraid to take risks and represent ourselves with our fashion or even to allow ourselves to be laughed at.

Two years ago, we had a lip sync battle in which people were reluctant to perform and put their typical guard up and in turn, the experience was slightly uncomfortable. We haven’t changed a whole lot in two years, as our pep rally lasted about two raindrops as masses of students ran for the building amidst a light drizzle. In the recent Thanksgiving Talent Show, there was a good variety of boys stepping beyond the more typical acts with Adrian Lapadat ‘19’s metal singing, Alex Martha ‘19’s magic tricks, and the grade-wide gobble contest.

I find it ironic that some guys at Blake want to be entrepreneurs in clubs like DECA, but don’t actually practice taking risks. An entrepreneur is by definition a risk taker, but in social practice, many of us guys are playing it safe, conforming to a non-existent dress code, and typically not putting ourselves out there. It is time to take advantage of Blake’s lack of a dress code. We have an opportunity every day to represent ourselves through our clothes and instead of just fitting into the crowds with another pair of khakis, it’s time to be more unique.