Which means I spent almost my entire high school career wearing 1) all-black hand-me-down office wear from a real estate agent in her 60s who’d lost a bunch of weight & 2) thrifted clothing, much of it men’s workwear. I was angry when the clothing I’d been mocked for became trendy (grunge).

I was able to cobble together something almost approaching personal style bc luckily my personal style included combat boots held together with electrical tape as opposed to like light-colored sundresses. But new clothing at Christmas? Left me looking like a preschool teacher.