By Elyssa Phan, Staff Writer & Photographer
When you look into a high school crowd, one of the things that you just can’t miss is the amount of black everywhere: black hoodies, black jeans, black sweatshirts, black T-shirts. All the way down to the toes — black peeping out of the popular checkered Vans. This “trend”, you may call it, raises a funny question: why do students tend to wear black most frequently of all colors? Is there a scientific reason behind this? Is it just easier to find in stores?
Psychologically speaking, studies have shown that “black represents power, elegance, discipline and mystery… [People] wear black to communicate an authoritative image or protect emotions” (What the Color You’re Wearing Says About You). Another article adds “strength, authority… aggression, formality… rebellion, and sophistication” (Color Meaning: Meaning of the Color Black) to the list. Moreover, black is also said to be the color that people wear to be taken more seriously.
However, do students actually think of these reasons (“Hey, I want to look like I have a mixture of discipline and sophistication today”) when they’re getting up in the morning and picking out a pair of black dickies for the day Actually, are they even aware black has the power to communicate these qualities? Maybe. Maybe not. Let’s hear from some students.
After asking various students modeling all-black ensembles, the most frequent answers I acquired were “I just threw some clothes on” and “Black matches more with my other black clothes”.
“It matches with a lot of things,” junior Russell Pham answers simply.
“It looks good with everything,” said senior Ada Nguyen.
And the students make a good point. Because of its many different moods it can communicate, “black goes with everything, and brings out the best—or worst—in whatever it surrounds.” (10 fascinating facts about our darkest color).
In conclusion, the reason students tend to wear black is as simple and basic as the color itself. People gravitate towards the color.
“I wanna match without throwing up color. It’s not like I’m gonna wear red leggings with a purple shirt,” said junior Lindsey Nguyen.
“I just didn’t do laundry so I threw on whatever I could find,” senior Tara Choe explains.
