Here at Guilford, we pride ourselves on being unique. We like to revel in every quirky little idiosyncrasy of our community, and perhaps no aspect of Guilford is more quirky than the fashion we see on a day-to-day basis.

So here is my celebration of all the fun wardrobe and grooming choices that many wear around campus, making it that much more colorful of a place to live.

Lanyards around every neck

These cloth necklaces adorn the bodies of almost every athlete and the necks of most first-years. Even some upper classmen still have their lanyards from their CHAOS days.

These gloriously beneficial items provide us with more than one use. They serve us well as a dangling contraption to hold important cards, notes, keys, and maybe money.

In addition to this beautiful utility, they are also fun to twirl around on your fingers forward and backward and forward again. Just be careful of everyone around you. Lanyard-related accidents are dangerous and on the rise.

Hair, hair, everywhere

“No-Shave November” is here, but being under-shaved is a common occurrence at Guilford. At most other colleges, men’s faces and women’s legs would be a lot smoother, but there’s nothing wrong with being a bit hairier. It is just another thing that makes us different and special.

We may scoff at it sometimes. We may not rate it highly. But in the end, a little extra fur never hurt anyone. Better to grow your own than to take it from an animal, anyway.

A chullo for every child

Often referred to as Incan hats, chullos, the ear-flapped head-coverings from the Andean Mountain region, are becoming more and more of a common sighting in North America during the winter. They have also been seen more and more at Guilford College during the spring, summer, and fall. Of course, whether the hats are actually from the Andean Mountains or are simply knock-offs is yet to be determined.

In any case, chullos are popular here for a couple of really good reasons. The ear flaps, for one, are the perfect insulation to drown out the sound of geese hissing at us whenever we step within a ten foot radius.

The hats also provide protection. Though not as beneficial as helmets might be, the extra cushioning of the fabric softens the blow of nuts thrown at our heads from malicious squirrels in the treetops.

More socks with sandals than tourists

In high school it was mocked. Not here. At least once a day you will run into a brave soul daringly sporting this fashion faux pas. And here at Guilford it is okay.

In fact, it shows just how nonconformist we are. At other schools, they make you choose whether your feet feel hot or cold. At Guilford, you do not have to decide; you can prepare for both. No matter the month, no matter the weather, socks and sandals let the rest of the world know that we do things our way here, without any need for arbitrary footwear standards.

Not so dreadful

Dreadlocks. There are so many on this campus that I could not finish this article without mentioning these tendrils of hair.

Some do it simply, with one or two dreads hidden within their mane. Others go all out, looking like they might be ready to do battle with Arnold Schwarzenegger in the movie Predator.

No matter how extreme the individual decides to make their hair, the results are always glorious locks. Go to another college, and you will not see nearly as many people sporting this unique hairstyle. But at Guilford, no one dreads the dreads.

Even if we may cringe every now and then at the fashion choices that would be a “no-no” anywhere else, the acceptance of fashion counter to the norm is part of what makes going to Guilford special. I would not want to live somewhere where such things never happened.