Style is subjective. Style can be many things. It can be manipulated and repeated and knocked-off. But style is omnipresent and important, especially among international students at MSU, who have brought some of their own cultures and styles to the U.S.
There isn’t one specific international style, just as there is no style limited to Americans. International students use fashion to express themselves and give insights into their personality.
“I think we just like to wear what we like — I wear what I look good in, it doesn’t matter the brand or if it is American or Chinese,” said human resource management freshman Shouyou Wen, who is from China.
International students also acquire style trends through American culture and media, such as movies, sports and TV, finance freshman Tae Wan Shim from Korea said.
“We definitely get some fashion from American culture. ... We like ... snapbacks, Adidas, Nike (and) Air Jordan,” Shim said.
Some Chinese international students are interested in portraying a luxurious style and looking wealthy, accounting sophomore Ying Wang from China said.
“(Wealthy Chinese students) try to show off. ... They wear Italian (designers) and others like Givenchy,” Wang said.
International brands such as Burberry, Coach and Gucci are popular among many international students, not because they are looked at as prestigious, but because they like the elegant style, accounting junior Yuan Wang, who is from China, said.
Applied engineering science senior Mousa Bokhamseen from Saudi Arabia agreed and said that Saudi Arabian culture, like Chinese, places more emphasis on displaying luxury and relaxation. In Saudi Arabia, men adopt grooming practices such as manicures, which are an accepted part of the culture, he said.
“If I were to do some of the things we do in Saudi Arabia to look good, I would be called ‘gay’ in America. We do things like go to the salon for our hands and feet,” Bokhamseen said.
“And of course I can’t wear my traditional clothing or I would be looked at oddly,” he said, referring to the traditional keffiyeh headdress and thawb garment.
International students express their cultures and their personalities through their fashion just as American-born people do, but they can also express a lack of their own culture for fear of being judged.
When MSU students from a host of different countries converge on campus, the melting pot of style it produces continues to provide provoking ideas for the style connoisseur and endless fascination for the casual viewer.
