Cut from a different cloth?

I stumbled upon this photo and I couldn't help but think of the article we read about the Indonesian family, their clothes, and their lifestyle. I had my doubts about whether that article was really about clothing and identity or whether clothes in fact said much about a person but after some rereading and reflection I realized even if clothes do not exemplify a person's "true self" they are a conscious choice and therefore reflect what the person desires to be perceived as. Whether that be "trendy and cool" or a devote Muslim, the application of desired identity onto clothing still stands.

Today a co-worker of mine had to write a paper arguing for or against school uniforms and I found myself advocating ferociously for free choice in clothing. (This is partly because I think saying uniforms make kids the same and less prone to teasing each other is a weak argument, and does not at all mirror the images of my catholic elementary school past.) I got caught up in the idea of expression. We wake up, we choose what we wear. I can't believe I somehow overlooked my strong anti-uniform feelings when reading the article! To me clothing choice is a fundamental piece of my identity that I look forward to expressing. Look world, see my yarn tangled sweaters, my eclectic t-shirts, my off-beat boots and know that although I may be an ant in a throbbing city I am at least, a funk-ily dressed ant who you might potentially want to talk to. I hope my clothes do the job of expressing to people what I cannot surmise when I pass by, that I'm friendly, open to conversation, young, and adventurous. Maybe that's too much to hope for... 

- Alexis Brinkman