As an American in Europe I had felt like an outsider, by Raquel Collins

By the time I had been in Spain for two weeks I could feel myself conforming to the ways of Spanish society. I was beginning to dress like them, have tapas for dinner and drink little coffees. By a month in I had my own tabaco—I even rolled like the Spanish, and my wardrobe began to consist mainly of Zara. I wore a shoulder bag to school instead of a backpack, and my clothes were more fitted and posh. I even started watching Elite… but all of this was and is expected of me, given that we as westerners have a tendency to conform to the ways of society so we don’t appear as a foreigner. As an American in Europe I had felt like an outsider and wanted to be enculturated into the Spanish norms, so I changed the way I was perceived in order to do so. Societally in Europe, everyone dresses more posh and professional always, even to just grab a coffee or walk their dog, where as in the states people wear more casual clothing, such as asthelsuire. As stated in the Valley Magazine by Alyssa Opris; “one stark difference between America and Europe — style is more valued by Europeans as a whole, but people in America don’t mind as long as it’s comfortable.” Perhaps this plays into the whole sterotype of american’s being lazy and at times “unhealthy”, while the europeans have a more sophisticated and clean asthetic. Moreover, as a way of managing anxiety and preserving self effacement, we confrom to society by blending in. Maybe we just want a sense of belonging, or cope with anxiety, or want to be enculturated, but regardless, it’s fun to be inspired to dress differently, dress up and maybe even appear european. However, self preservation and expression can still be maintained while trying to achieve a kind of european look, which may just be the beauty of fashion and style. While I conform to the ways of this society, I still maintain my sense of self as I wear pieces that I actually like and will continue to wear even when I'm home, so perhaps this is just the beginning of the European me. http://www.valleymagazinepsu.com/the-casual-american-vs-the-formal-european/

My sister and myself wearing more european clothing (Zara) such as leather jackets and Sambas