The Friday before the Yale-Harvard Game, I spent my entire afternoon at the Yale Bookstore and Campus Customs looking for something new to wear for the Game. I unfolded sweaters, took them off their hangers and looked through the same shelves I’ve seen more times than I could count. I was in search of a design that was cute and unique which is, frankly, quite difficult — anyone who has been to either of these stores will know that there is no such thing as a Yale sweater that has not been overworn by students on campus. 

 I love visiting clothing stores, regardless of whether I buy anything. Don’t get me wrong — I like bringing new things home with me, but browsing the new collections is just as fulfilling. There is great joy in finding a necklace to match the earrings I own, discovering a design that complements my favorite outfit and getting my hands on the perfect overfit cable knit sweater to layer with a puffer jacket. But shopping for Yale merchandise is different: that afternoon, I felt obligated to buy a Yale sweater. I wanted to buy Yale merchandise so that I could be identified as a Yale student and show my school pride among the sea of students wearing crimson. I did some browsing, but I didn’t enjoy it all that much. I visited the same shelves and tried on a plain gray Yale zip-up, but only to make sure I didn’t hate how I looked while I was wearing it. There were only so many other options to choose from — there wasn’t much to like or dislike.

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with buying a Yale hoodie to show that you’re a Yale student. That’s why I have a gray hoodie emblazoned with “Yale” in big black letters in my drawer. But people too often are drawn towards official Yale merchandise. They don’t stop to think about whether the “official” pieces they buy are representative of who they are. 

A friend who went shopping with me that Friday debated for the longest time between getting a quarter-zip in black or blue. He purchased neither; They were “too expensive.” It was a functionally great piece of clothing and was made of nice material. For a durable sweater that wouldn’t tear apart after a trip in the washing machine, the price didn’t seem too unfair. But I saw his point. The only thing that screamed “Yale” was a small logo in the upper left-hand side. He didn’t want to buy a quarter-zip that just said “Yale” on it; He wanted to buy a Yale quarter-zip. 

As students, we must ask ourselves: do we genuinely like our “Yale” clothing or do we just want to like how it looks? Do we too often forsake plainness for authenticity? Yale students have the greatest potential to create pieces that reflect their interests, styles and personalities without limiting themselves to what is or isn’t authentic. I’m sure most of us would agree that there is more to representing Yale than a plain gray or blue sweater. I have pride in my school, but it’s not because of its name. There’s more meaning in wearing a piece that reflects what Yale is as a community.

I ended up purchasing a hoodie directly from the Yale Emergency Medical Services. It had “The Game” printed on the front left-hand side and an image of an YEMS truck on the field above the description, “Yale EMS Taking Care of Harvard Since ’03.” I’m not part of the organization, and it was a rather simple design, but this hoodie definitely offered something more. I liked the artistic style of the drawn image, and its placement reminded me of the graphic tees that I enjoy wearing with my daily outfits. It wasn’t typical Yale merchandise, but that’s what made it feel unique and appealing. And to me, this was authentic enough.

KRISTEN KIM is a sophomore in Branford College. She can be reached at kristen.kim.kyk4@yale.edu.