By Grace Hogsten
Copy Editor
Freshman Arianna Jahangir has a distinctive sense of style. She often wears layered outfits including elements like fishnets, stripes, leather, leg warmers, and, of course, her Demonias. Her fashion is not just an aesthetic; Jahangir takes part in goth subculture, which involves style, music, and community involvement.
While she does not have a definitive label for her aesthetic, Jahangir is inspired by the new wave goth music she listens to, as well as U.S. grunge and Japanese street fashion such as harajuku.
Jahangir experienced a “musical awakening” when her father introduced her to Greta Van Fleet about six years ago. Her love of rock music only grew as she branched out and started listening to more bands, including Led Zeppelin and The Cure.
“I’m obsessed with The Cure right now,” Jahangir said. “I would stay up late watching their music videos and they’re wearing black turtlenecks and fishnets and these big, fat, chunky boots.”
Taking inspiration from the outfits her favorite bands wear in music videos, Jahangir loves to experiment with various textures and patterns, as well as exaggerated, oversized articles of clothing.
She started wearing alternative fashion about a year ago, but long before she embodied a goth aesthetic herself, Jahangir appreciated it on others in the scene and wanted to try it herself.
“As soon as I started playing guitar, I would look in the mirror and I would just feel like there’s some incongruity,” Jahangir said. “I have this black Ibanez [guitar], and it’s so sexy, and I was like, ‘I need to look like her.’”
After cutting her long hair in favor of a shorter, layered look, Jahangir decided it was time to start wearing the clothes she admired for so long.
“Cutting off my hair was some weird sort of catalyst,” Jahangir said. “I would kind of hide in [my long hair]…I didn’t want to be noticed.”
In the past, Jahangir felt limited to wearing certain clothes to fit her body type or hide her insecurities. However, after gaining the confidence to step into alternative fashion, she cannot imagine going back.
“I dress this way because I’m expanding the degree to which I can be myself,” Jahangir said. “It’s not for anyone else.”
Jahangir also spoke about the way that she stands out at Washington College, which is a predominantly white institution.
“Washington [College] has helped me in a certain way,” Jahangir said. “I come from a very diverse area and [being at WC has] just been a little bit isolating…I’m already kind of a sore thumb…because [of] the way I look, so me dressing in a certain way is not going to change that…It’s going to make it a little worse, but I don’t care anymore, and that has been very liberating.”
According to Jahangir, goth subculture is not just about the music or the clothes; she became more involved in her local scene as she grew increasingly aware of social injustice.
“I had been reading a lot about critical race theory and mass incarceration and how it’s contributing to this system of racialized control,” Jahangir said. “It’s basically shunting people to the margins of society…I was like 15, and…I was like, ‘Oh my god. I’m contributing to this system…what can I do about this?’”
It was then that Jahangir decided to combine two things she finds most empowering — music and community — to take a step towards a solution. She formed Teenage Riot, a collective of punk bands, including her own, that hosts fundraisers and works for change in the local community.
According to the caption of a recent post on Teenage Riot’s Instagram page, “solidarity has never sounded so sick.”
After doing research into local causes, Jahangir organized a fundraiser for The Sentencing Project, which is based in Washington, D.C. The event included not only punk music, but a hired speaker from the project.
According to The Sentencing Project’s website, the organization “advocate[s] for effective and humane responses to crime that minimize imprisonment and criminalization of youth and adults by promoting racial, ethnic, economic, and gender justice.”
Jahangir describes The Sentencing Project as “a D.C.-based grassroots activism platform,” which makes it perfect for her focus on local political involvement.
“The thing about the punk scene is that it’s super political,” Jahangir said. “That’s ingrained into every aspect of it, including its aesthetic.”
According to Jahangir, there are some people who see the punk scene as nothing but a cool aesthetic or a place to drive around and go to shows.
“If you want that part and not the stuff that’s powering it, go find it somewhere else,” Jahangir said.
Anyone who sees Jahangir walking by on campus might assume her dynamic outfits and layered accessories are simply an aesthetic choice. However, Jahangir’s style signifies so much more: empowerment in the present and work towards a better future.
Photo courtesy of Whitney Parappurath.
Photo Caption: Jahangir was inspired by music and her guitar when creating her signature look and aesthetic.