In my view, different attire responds to different culture. Once I asked my American friend, “Why do American students bring backpack all the time?” She said, “Why do Asian students carry handbags?” American students think wearing comfortable clothing and backpack is practical and efficient. “You don’t have to worry about what to wear! Just put on your UConn t-shirt! It’s easy!”A Korean student said, ”American students know nothing about fashion! I like to wear skirt with sneakers but they don’t. Everyone dress similar and not stylish.” I got the same opinion from other International students.They all think the clothing of UConn students is monotonous; the attire in their college is much more diverse.
Although college students don’t have to wear uniforms, they love to wear”UConn brand” clothing! In UConn, everyone has UConn products like T-shirt, pants, tumblers, keychain and anything you can come up. It surprised me when I came here because we don’t wear school clothing unless there is an activity and I didn’t buy any clothes from the souvenir shop in my college. I feel like American students are proud of their school as patriots and they wear UConn t-shirt to support UConn when go to sport events. In Taiwan, we do it rarely. Except for getting UConn T-shirts from the CO-OP, many events on campus provide free T-shirt as long as you attend it. For me, I have four free UConn T-shirts, one is from my global community, two are from traveler for supporting basketball teamsand I got one from an activity by recreational society. Besides, I bought two UConn hooded shirts from the CO-OP as souvenirs for myself.I think it’s a good way to show your support to your college that I can learn from here.
American students are more confident with showing bodies. In Taiwan, every girl pursues the “standard size” which is considered “skinny” in the states. The large-sized girl in Taiwan would be shy in public because she would worry about others’ opinions about their shape and attire. In contrast, no one cares about what you wear here on campus. For example, wearing leggings without clothes or pants covering butts is acceptable here.–Nita, English 1003, Fall 2013