When “Connor Brooks” is mentioned in a conversation, the first thing that comes to mind for most people is how I dress. I have always taken my style seriously because of the emphasis my parents put on the impression my clothes give to others.

Parents love to dress up kids, and my parents always picked out nice clothes for me to wear. Every day: tucked in Polo shirt, leather belt, khaki pants, and dressy shoes. I didn’t have a choice, but also I didn’t complain.

This trend has continued into my current life. No, my parents don’t tell me how to dress everyday but yes, I still dress in a “preppy” way. I can’t help but dress this way. Being able to wear a button up shirt and nice shoes is comfortable to me, even though it isn’t for most.

This style became encouraged more once I got into high school where people gave me compliments about how frequently I dress up. 

Clothing isn’t the only thing that goes into my style. How I style my hair also means a lot to me. I can always rely on my friend Marc, who is currently in barber school, to give me the perfect cut.

The first reason I wanted to change my hair was that I just wanted to have something that stood out, so I began searching for haircuts online until I found one that I liked. I loved the fade and also the haircut had a distinct line in it which was unique and appealing. Obviously my hair was not going to be exactly like that style in the picture, but I left it up to Marc to get it as close as possible. He did an amazing job, as I knew he would, and now I have gotten it the same way ever since. Also having a specific gel allows me to achieve the style I want every morning and I have gotten it down to a science.

My parents, mainly my mom, have shaped my stylistic choices into how they are today and it has changed my perception about certain issues. For example, I will catch myself frequently looking at someone’s outfit and think of how I would change it. I know that sounds snobby, but I just devote so much time to fashion, that I can’t help but to make these observations. I now almost feel obligated to make suggestions to friends about an outfit to make it better.

This style addiction is also influenced by other sources through the clothes people are wearing on a show on Netflix or a video on Youtube. People in the world of film production know that appearance is important therefore they typically spend time and money on it. Now obviously I focus on the plot during any show I’m watching, however, commenting on styles either to a person or thinking about them in my head is typically something that happens when I’m watching TV.

Casey Neistat, a Youtube vlogger with over 9 million subscribers, recently uploaded a video titled “Why I Wear a Suit?.” In this video he uses the last few minutes of the vlog to sit down and give his reasoning in which he states he was inspired from a movie. My point is that behind everyone’s dress habits there is some type of reason and I guess mine is slightly similar to Casey’s in which I am slightly influenced by things I watch.

This habit of dressing up is enjoyable and it makes me feel good to dress up. It is something that distinguishes me from everyone else and promotes a sense of individuality. I will continue doing it because of these positive components that are the result of it.