Is Style Really Influenced by Gender or Grade?

Have you ever stood in front of your closet, trying to decide what to wear, and wondered if your outfit says more than you realize? At Abington Friends School, a student-constructed survey reveals that style choices reflect more than just fashion sense, demonstrating how gender and grade influence confidence, individuality, and overall decision-making. 

So, how much do students care about how they dress, and what are some factors that might play a role? 

Out of a sample size of 48 students from AFS, 32 of them responded. These results are based on a survey sent by email, which included 12 female/non-binary and 12 male freshman students, as well as 12 female/non-binary and 12 male senior students, with each name drawn randomly after being placed in a name wheel.

Students were asked for their gender and grades, along with a few other questions. These included how much they care about how they dress, how much they are influenced by others, and various other factors. Students were then asked to elaborate on some of their previous responses, and seniors were told to compare their style now to how it was freshman year.

Gender’s Impact On How Much People Care About Their Style:

Throughout the survey and in Figure 1, “Gender vs. Amount of Care”, female/non-binary students showed a higher percentage in the four to five category, expressing more care in their appearances. Also shown, while around half of them scored their response in that range, male-identifying students clustered closer to two and three, demonstrating a lower amount of care. 

Lotti Cassidy ‘29, a freshman female at AFS, said in an interview, “If I don’t have something that I’m comfortable in, it makes me feel angry. Good outfit, good day.” 

This heavily contrasts with what Sam Calandra-Jayne ‘26, a male senior, said, “I don’t really ask for other people’s opinions, and I like what I wear and have no real desire to change.”

Grades’ Impact On How Much People Care About Their Style:

As well as gender having an impact, grade also proves to hold a role. In Figure 2, “Grade vs. Amount of Care”, overall, freshmen show significantly higher numbers in the amount of care they have for their appearances compared to the seniors. The majority of freshmen are shown to choose four or five, while the seniors are more likely to choose two or three.  

An interview suggests that these results may also be tied to confidence, the difference between it being their first year vs. last year at the school. 

Cassidy said, “I feel the need to dress better because I’m a freshman, and it’s like my first impression.” 

In comparison, Luca Wood ‘26, said “I definitely think that at the beginning of freshman year, my style was very uninfluenced, but then I received comments about my outfits, which made me want to fit the trend more, but now I’m definitely more confident in myself and my outfits, so I don’t care necessarily if people say something about my outfit because it’s just clothing.” 

Another senior, Samara Cohen ‘26, followed that same theme, saying that “I’ve given up on cute outfits, but that also somehow made my outfits a lot better than freshman year. I just think I found my style now.”

Gender’s Impact On How Much People Are Influenced by Others:

While gender plays a big part in how much students care about how they dress, it also impacts the amount they find themselves influenced by others. Figure 3, “Gender vs. Amount of Influence,” shows that female/non-binary students stand higher in the two or three categories. Male students show a preference in both extremes, showing higher percentages in either the one or five categories. 

This shows that female/non-binary students report a slightly stronger influence from things such as social media, peers, trends, or many others, while male students either have no influence or a lot, taking it up to a four out of five.

Comparing two male students at AFS, Tristan Reinhold ‘26 said that he is influenced by, “Not other people’s opinions, but I like finding inspiration online.” 

Meanwhile, Sam Gilman ‘29 said on the same topic of influence, “I don’t really think that kind of validation is important,” highlighting the dramatic difference in how males at AFS are influenced and think about other people’s opinions. 

In comparison, Marley Field ‘26 said, “If I like something, I will buy it, but I will just wear what I want to wear. It’s hard to find people that you can exactly compare with and take inspiration from,” showing the in-between.

Grades’ Impact On How Much People Are Influenced by Others:

Figure 4, “Amount of Influence vs. Grade,” shows that freshmen have a higher percentage of how much they are influenced by others in columns two to four, while seniors are the highest in category one, demonstrating that even though some of them are affected by others, the freshmen show a greater amount of influence in the other columns. 

Kylie Firmin ‘26 said that “…freshman year, I think I was definitely more performative. Now I just wear what I want,” reflecting the data shown, and how in freshman year, students feel like they need to try more.

Overall, both the data and the interviews show that gender and grade influence how students dress and approach their style. Students who identify as female or non-binary tend to care more about their appearances as well as feel more influenced by outside trends than male students. Freshmen seem to care more about how they dress than seniors, and are more influenced by others, while seniors have become more comfortable and confident with their style in school and don’t care as much about their outfit choices. 

Comparing gender to the amount of people who feel influenced showed that female and non-binary students also stand in the moderate pool, while male students fall at both extremes, showing they either care a lot or not at all. 

In a common theme across all data, however, students choose things that make them feel comfortable and confident, catering to each individual’s liking.