Dear Diary,

I wrote this for the school blog but just in case it didn't get enough mileage there:

London has made me a bit more adventurous when it comes to my clothing, or maybe it has just made me more conscious of it. I have spent a lot of time looking at what other women on the street are wearing and considering if I would be caught dead in it. I want desperately to not look like the other groups of American girls we see going out to clubs. In their attempts to look cosmopolitan, they are completely over the top, teetering along in three inch ankle boots and black leggings, with some butt-grazing flowy top cinched above the waist with the inevitable wide black belt. Usually the outfit isn’t bad, but then it is ruined by a huge knockoff purse, a side ponytail, and the fact that you can see how much their heels are hurting them by the fact that their knees are bending in the wrong part of their stride.
Okay so I am coming off a bit harsh to my country women. It is most likely because, as much as I hate to admit it, we are these girls. Trying new fashion and not always succeeding. In February I bought this scarf that I really wanted even though it was the most overdone thing in the whole city. I bought a purple and white version of the black and white checked Palestinian support scarf, the one with the little tassels. Did I know it was the Palestinian support scarf? No. I just thought I was clever for not spending 18 pounds for the Urban Outfitters version and opting for the 5 pound street market one that was EXACTLY the same. I wore this scarf multiple times a week without ever knowing about its political meaning. I was completely clueless until my much more savvy NYC sister came to visit me and informed me that scarf is what she saw young Palestinian rebels wearing on the news everyday. Damnit. And I don’t even know whose side we’re on. My lack of interest in Middle Eastern politics bites me in the ass again.

So, Emily. What you’re telling me is that wearing this scarf is pretty much like me buying one of those Che Guevera t-shirts at Urban Outfitters and not having any clue who everyone’s favorite Argentinean Marxist rebel is?” “Um, yeah. Pretty much… exactly that.”

If London has taught me anything about fashion, it is to have a bit more sympathy for those who try too hard. I’ve been there. It was an honest mistake.
Love,

Diana