Tell me about your style.

Well, I like to wear things that are kind of crazy. Things that are random, that you don’t see very often. I don’t feel like I follow a specific trend. But, for example, I have these Lion King pants because I love The Lion King. I never really pick out my clothes thinking about how they’ll go with each other. I’ll just pick something out because it’ll remind me of something I like. So this sweater makes me think of a guru, so it’s my guru sweater. And there are the sparkles on these pants. I just go for the weirdest things. If we’re young now we might as well go all out because nothing is stopping us. It brings excitement to my day. I feel cool when I wear crazy things.

How has your style changed over the years?

I’ve always had quirky clothing. I’ve liked bright clothes since I was little. But I don’t dress like this all the time. There are days when I’m totally fine just wearing sweats, and there are days when I’m just like “man, I just feel like wearing my Lion King leggings!”

Where would you wear these outfits?

Let’s see. Usually I’ll wear them if I’m going out or just hanging with friends. Or if I’m feeling lucky that day, or if the day just feels special.

I noticed you have a lot of piercings. Can you talk about getting those?

I got my bar on a whim really. I went in to get my second piercing and a cartilage piercing, but then the guy was like, “for $10 more you can get an industrial!” So I thought, “why not?” I like to change up my earrings as much as possible. I like dangly earrings that are unique-looking. But I also tend to wear the same jewelry over and over again. I’ve been starting to wear different bars now, which is exciting.

Do you find that the bar gets in the way when you’re sleeping?

It used to. It takes a year to heal, so if I put any pressure on it it would hurt, but now it doesn’t hurt at all. I mean, there are times when I’ve smashed into something, and then it will bleed.

So did you sleep on one side for an entire year?

Yeah, well, for half a year. Sometimes I wouldn’t care, but then it would be swollen and gross in the morning.

What kind of variety can you get with the bars?

I’ve only bought one other bar. It has a dream catcher in it and it dangles. I like cool combinations and asymmetry. This necklace is the female Bodhisattva Tara. I picked it up in this one Buddhist boutique that I was at in San Diego. It just kind of looked cool. So then I asked the store owner what it meant, and he told me the story of Tara. I thought it was so awesome because she’s like the female Bodhisattva and all. So, I guess I have a lot of things that carry meaning, and I make a lot of the jewelry that I wear!

Oh cool! How did you get into that?

Well, at my high school I took a jewelry class, and we learned how to make rings. There were a couple earrings, but they’re not quite wearable because they’re too fragile.

Where do you find most of your clothes and accessories?

Let’s see… all over the place, really. A lot of it is actually my grandma’s jewelry. She had a lot of jewelry. There are a lot of things that have been passed down in my family, and then there are things from the random boutiques that I’ll stumble upon.

I noticed your hair change. How did that come about?

Well I used to have really long hair, and I loved my long hair. Everyone would tell me “Oh, we love your hair. Never cut it!” So I was just like “I’m cutting my hair!” You know, cause everyone was telling me not to, so then I wanted to. So I just cut it all off, and then I was like, well I might as well do something fun with it. So I dyed it weird colors. I like the gradient because I like to put my hair in a bun, so it’s cool to have a dark color at the base and then have it light on top. It’s also really fun to do a French braid because then the colors are all mixed and cool.

Was that the first time you dyed your hair?

Yes!

How was that experience?

It was good. I mean, I asked for ombre, and she didn’t give me ombre. The first time she dyed the tips only and just slightly lighter than my normal color. So I was like, “um, what is this?” And she took like three hours to do it, so I came back, and she was like “Well, it was your first time and I thought you’d chicken out. So I only did the tips.” And I was like, “Ugh, no,” and I showed her a picture and I was like, “I want it all up here,” exaggerating. And then she did it all over the place. But it’s cool. When she first did it, it was bright, bright red. But she said it would fade, and it did obviously. I’ve always wanted to do cool, crazy braids, but I can’t quite coordinate myself, so I just wear it down or in a bun.

Who or what influences your style?

I’m inspired by people who don’t give a shit about what other people think about them. So when they dress crazy, it’s just kind of who they are, but it’s not for anybody. I’m inspired by Disney (laughs)!

Wait, really?

No, no. I’m just saying that because of my Lion King leggings. I’m also inspired by, well—in terms of celebrities, there are some female rappers who just have really weird clothes. I’m inspired by their outfits.

Has school affected your style at all?

I guess so. I went to an artsy high school, so I’m really used to people dressing really weirdly and having friends who would experiment with their outfits.

Do you have any plans for your look in the future?

For the longest time, like after I got these piercings, I was like, “Agh I have to get more!” But now I don’t know. Maybe I’m chill with this. I told everyone I wanted to get a nose piercing, but then the entire school got a nose piercing. But they’re still cool, they’re still cool. I’m trying to just enjoy all the clothes I already have. I think part of it is that I just like to dress out of the ordinary, because it forces you to walk out of your house, or your dorm, and be like “Okay, I’m dressed kind of weirdly right now, but what are you going to do about it?” So it’s helped me gain self-confidence and self-awareness. Because I feel good in it. You’re always worried that other people are going to think you’re weird, but it’s like if I feel cool, and if I like these clothes, you just gotta act like it’s normal. And so that’s why I like doing that. In high school I used to love shopping, but now I don’t like it as much. I’m just trying to make cool combos with what I have. For my hair, I’d like to grow it out and then maybe dye it different shades of green and blue and purple.