It’s no secret that in relation to homecoming, HBCUs present out all week in each facet. From step exhibits to superstar company to shutting down your entire metropolis, it’s a scene. Homecoming week at an HBCU is a celebration of legacy, custom and campus tradition. What we don’t speak about sufficient although is the influence that vogue and magnificence have on bringing the homecoming week to life.
New York vogue week is nothing in comparison with the way in which HBCU college students and alumni flip their campuses into their stomping grounds with new hairstyles, outfits, footwear and nails for the lengthy week stuffed with occasions sponsored each by the varsity and their surrounding communities. It doesn’t matter the place you’re going, at an HBCU, daily is an important day to decorate up for the homecoming week.
In a research performed by Carlie Beard of Hampton College, the researcher famous that, “College students in a video titled ‘Vogue Is greater than Custom at Traditionally Black Schools; curated by Nationwide Geographic describe the apparel of their fellow HBCU college students as ‘Virtually like a vogue present,’ confirming that vogue is a large a part of the tradition and historical past of HBCUs.’’
College students at Florida A&M College share this narrative for his or her homecomings and are inspired to modify up their types this yr for the sake of maintaining with the homecoming tradition.
Shardeia Maddox, a well being science pre-physical remedy scholar, says she’s switching up her look this yr in three completely different features.
“A brand new type that I’ve tried is coloured hair, particularly blue which is out of my consolation zone,” Maddox mentioned.
Together with a brand new blue coiffure, the fourth-year scholar is attempting out quick nails outdoors of her normally lengthy ones and branching out by carrying extra heels than sandals.
Vogue has been a big medium of expression at HBCUs, an expression one can start to develop into the extra they’re saturated in their very own tradition, develop inside their group and determine the right way to stand out among the many majority.
“It’s homecoming, everybody ought to change their type up,” mentioned Kylan Guerrier, a fourth-year broadcast journalism scholar.
Guerrier says that this yr he modified up hair by including a extra “intricate” braiding type.
A flashy coiffure can final the entire week, however when it comes to outfits, everybody is aware of you all the time have to save lots of the most effective for final.
“The significance of getting the most effective outfit for homecoming is simply one of many intersections between HBCU tradition and emphasis on trendy gown as a illustration of private picture creation, empowerment, and group constructing,” Beard mentioned.
The larger occasions of homecoming are the place outfits actually matter. Towards the tip of the week when superstar company normally pop into city, the large sport happens, alumni come down, and naturally the weekend leaves extra time to actually exhibit the deliberate outfits.
Guerrier and Maddox every shared with The Famuan that they plan to save lots of their “new” outfits for finish of the week occasions together with the sport and off-campus events and promotions which they’ve budgeted round $500 to place collectively.
Platforms together with Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and Pinterest have been a digital portfolio of look books for college students to seek out their inspiration for these new outfits-from braids, to Halloween nails, vogue ideas and extra for his or her massive homecoming seems. Hashtags and searches trending on TikTok embrace, “homecoming outfits,” “homecoming captions” and “homecoming hairstyles,” which have turn into a fast supply of inspiration for seems.
Exterior of the social media platforms, college students have even appeared to their private GroupMe’s and campus distributors for assist finishing their seems, together with the “FAMU Magnificence” group chat. For weeks on finish, the chats have been stuffed with younger scholar entrepreneurs selling offers for college students seeking to purchase new garments, get their nails accomplished, fill their eyelashes in, get outfits tailor-made, and extra.
Not solely does homecoming actually carry collectively these close to and much to the center of their campuses, however it additionally encourages college students to look outdoors of the field in relation to type, how they categorical themselves, and what it means to face out amidst a majority.
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