Back at Slauson Middle School, sophomore Delia Binetti noticed something similar amongst the girls at her school—Lululemon leggings, black Nike shoes and identical sweaters—Everyone dressed the same. Binetti used to try and find clothes that everyone else would like, but once she recognized the clothing clones throughout her school, she decided to make a change.

It was around the time when Binetti started shopping at thrift stores that she discovered her personal style. She found a couple of cute clothes in the store but still worried if people would think they were weird. Despite it not being ‘the usual outfit,’ she bought the clothes. One day Binetti felt brave enough to steer away from the conventional, and wore her vintage clothes to school.

“It felt like I took control of myself and it made me realize I don’t have to care about what other people think about my clothes,” Binetti said. “It made me feel really strong as a person. The more I did it, the more I didn’t care what people thought about my style.”

When Binetti reached high school, she recognized the importance of having a unique sense of style. She believes an outfit shows who you are as a person and that if you only try to wear the same things as other people, you’ll never know your own true style.

Binetti describes her style as unique but still current. Most people wear similar clothing to her, but Binetti tries to shop for clothes that are uncommon, like her one-of-a-kind, old-fashioned jacket from Salvation Army, which makes her feel unique.

A piece of advice Binetti would give to a young girl who is in the same position as she was, would be to definitely try new things.

“Don’t be afraid that people might say something, because people will, it’s not like everyone will like your clothes,” Binetti said. “It shouldn’t matter what other people think, and if you like it, you should wear it. Don’t be afraid of stepping out of your comfort zone, because it will pay off.”