You first spotted her sipping a morning coffee or, excuse me, le cappuccino, which of course she captioned on Instagram, “Starbucks will never be the same.”
Later in the day, you saw her cycling to class, as les bicyclettes are the only suitable means of transportation. (Bonus points if she was carrying a Forest food court baguette under her arm.)
Or maybe you heard her in line at Roy’s, complaining that it could never live up to that cute little wine bar in the corner of le quatrième arrondissement.
Oh right, it’s that girl who studied abroad in Europe for three months and came back making sure you knew all about it.
Yes, she’s perhaps one of college’s most annoying stereotypes. Even still, she is that same self-identifying Parisian who corrects people’s pronunciation of “crêpe” and continues to post on her study abroad blog for old time's sake.
In fact, we all are.
Come August, like clockwork, we each arrive back to school a little different than before. Whether it was a fresh tan, fitness regime, haircut or bodysuit, like Study Abroad Girl, we returned through the Sample Gates hoping someone would notice that something was new.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with the summer makeover, even if it comes from a slightly egotistical place.
Biologically speaking, our bodies are constantly under makeover. According to the American Chemical Society, the human body’s entire epidermis sheds every two to three weeks.
Mentally, we expose our thoughts to constant remolding and remodeling, as we live in a melting pot of challenging belief systems and perspectives.
Sartorially, it would only make sense that style gets included as part of our transformation. Fashion’s metamorphic ability to reinvent oneself is obviously not a foreign concept.
So why then do we let our minds and bodies constantly shed anew while our style clutches to its stale skin, only to be made over because it’s the start of the school year?
Here is where our beret-clad European gets the best of us, because she is the one who has done it right.
As life transformed around her, her style did as well from the brand of tea she drank to the colors she wore (only black and white stripes, of course.)
She didn’t change because of a summer deadline or because she spent a few extra hours at the salon. Instead, a season of new experiences, perspectives and growth meant her style needed to follow suit.
She’s the antithesis of "finding herself,” as her makeover was never intended to make her become a new someone. Instead, she’s the champion of letting style serve as a road map of discovery and not the end destination.
Sure, we can continue rolling our eyes at her constant throwback posts that will continue every three weeks. We may lash out if she recommends one more tourist itinerary without anyone asking.
But we have no choice but to join her ranks, don a beret and let the makeover continue.
