Photo by Betsy Burrow
From the quiet corners of their childhoods, they watched — mimicking the way their mothers put on their heels, how their fathers laced their shoes and how their sisters twirled in mirrors — until, piece by piece, they stitched together a style of their own.
The idyllic eyes of a child capture wonders that often go unnoticed. Eventually, those wonders evolve into the pieces that make them whole.
Watching parents and siblings helps shape people into who they are — influencing not only their sense of style but their sense of self.
“I remember the first day I ever put on a pair of heels for the first time,” sophomore Olivia Christensen said. “And I remember tearing up at the thought that I once idolized the way I watched my mom do this very thing.”
Seeing the World from Below
Children see the world from below. They look up to the ways their mothers run a dance studio, how their fathers teach and how their sisters grow into their own people.
Jenn Jacobs, Christensen’s mom, said she never longed to have a girl — she simply wanted a healthy baby. But when Christensen came into the world, Jacobs’ was forever changed.
“Olivia is my ride or die,” Jacobs said. “I was a single mom [while she was] growing up — she was my little wing man, my little buddy, and she kind of just had to be.”
Throughout her childhood, Christensen would lean over her bathroom sink and watch her mother with eager eyes as she would apply her makeup and change into her nicest clothes.
“I remember seeing my mom in a really pretty dress one time, and that sticks with you,” Christensen said. “I think as I got older, I would realize my mom’s not putting on six inch heels and a gown every day to go to work.”
This epiphany helped Christensen understand that femininity doesn’t have a dress code.
“It helped me realize that, as a woman, you don’t have to dress up every day,” Christensen said.
Christensen said her mom was a single mother who would choreograph and teach dance all while being a superwoman she always looked up to.
Sophomore Olivia Christensen (left) and her mom, Jenn Jacobs (right), hug on Alumni Park. Christensen admired the way her mom put on makeup and chose her outfits throughout her childhood. Photo by Betsy Burrow
Junior Ben Hoffman views his father through a similar lens.
“Everyone sees their dad as a hero and a protector,” Hoffman said. “And I definitely did.”
When Hoffman was young, he and his family would go on mission trips for his father’s nonprofit, Engineering Ministries International. During that time, Hoffman would watch and admire the way his dad led by example.
Hoffman said his dad’s personal style was never flashy — rather, he would wear the same rotation of clothing and would rarely go shopping for himself.
“I think he always wanted to lead by example, so he never wanted to buy anything fancy and seem arrogant,” Hoffman said.
Although Hoffman shares his father’s simplistic style, he regards them as very different. Yet he doesn’t deny the impact his father had on him.
“There’s probably physical traits that I do copy from him that I don’t even realize,” Hoffman said.
Sisters by Chance, Friends by Choice
When twin girls, sophomores Ruby and Scarlett Gardiner, were brought into the world, they automatically became best friends.
“I would say having a twin sister as a built-in best friend is an advantage that I sometimes take for granted,” Ruby Gardiner said.
Their mother would dress them up in matching outfits for every event, even if it was simply going to the grocery store.
“I feel like, as twins, we definitely started out dressing similarly because we grew up with a mom who prided herself on dressing us the same,” Ruby Gardiner said.
Although matching bows and tutus are endearing, especially on twin babies, Scarlett Gardiner said it came with some harmful stereotypes of them being considered the same person.
Through the evolution of their personal styles, Scarlett Gardiner said she has been able to explore her own personal autonomy.
“As twins, you’re told, ‘You’re the same person,’” Scarlett Gardiner said. “But I learned how to really express myself differently, and that came through my fashion.”
Scarlett Gardiner described her style as more of an elevated minimalist aesthetic, whereas Ruby Gardiner emphasized her eclectic vibe and love for a pop of color to add flare into her wardrobe.
Woven From Within
Every piece people wear — the clothes, makeup, shoes, caps and jewelry — carries a story. Where they found them, the moments they wore them and the memories stitched between all tell the tale of how they have moved through life and become who they are today.
Hoffman described his father as a storyteller and teacher. He would go out of his way to ensure Hoffman and his siblings were learning to the fullest extent they could.
“I think that kind of influenced me at a young age to try to seek out religion and find my own faith because I saw how much good it caused in my dad’s life and how much good he was doing in the world because of his faith,” Hoffman said.
Hoffman now sees himself walking in those same footsteps, hoping to create a life where he can continue his father’s joy of serving others.
“The work he did was all work that was going toward the common good of people,” Hoffman said.
With a mother who taught dance throughout her childhood, Christensen often saw her mother in workout clothes getting ready to teach her classes. Now, she sees herself walking to her classes wearing similar outfits as her mother once did on her way to rehearsal.
Yet recently, Christensen realized this style mirroring goes both ways. She said she may leave clothes at her mother’s house and then see her mom wearing the top she left.
Around sixth grade, Scarlett Gardiner started to branch out into a style of her own and developed a passion for singing at the same time. On the other hand, Ruby Gardiner always preferred to express herself through her athletic talents.
“I think Scarlett and I found ourselves and stepped away from just being ‘the twins,’” Ruby Gardiner said. “We were able to find ourselves in another way while still holding on to something as special as being a twin.”
Christensen always admired her mother’s ability to adapt and hustle to get things done. She said she and her mother have always been each other’s best friends.
“She’s the yin to my yang,” Jacobs said.
Having a little girl is something Jacobs will forever cherish. She said she is incredibly proud of the person her daughter has turned out to be.
“Liv is the kind of smart that can’t be taught. She has innate wisdom where she’s so grounded, but she sees people and feels things that I feel like can’t be taught,” Jacobs said. “She’s always been that way. She understands people and sees the bigger picture in everything.”
Hoffman’s father was always active in molding and shaping the man his son would someday become.
“He taught me how to tie my shoes, he taught me how to ride a bike, he was my soccer coach, he was my football coach,” Hoffman said. “He honestly did everything.”
From experiencing kindergarten through college together to now studying abroad in London, Ruby and Scarlett Gardiner said they are living their lives, learning new things and making memories alongside each other.
“We seemed like we had the same trajectory of life,” Scarlett Gardiner said. “But now I think we’re finding the yin to our yang to each other, and we are literally best friends.”
For these individuals, style is more than clothing — it’s the reflection of every person who’s shaped them along the way. From the mothers who showed grace in the mirror, to the fathers who led with quiet strength, to the siblings who helped them see themselves more clearly — each moment they watched and each lesson they learned has become woven into who they are. The way they dress, move and live becomes a tribute to them all — a tapestry of love and growth that becomes stitched gently from within.
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Contact Haylie Ross via email: haylie.ross@pepperdine.edu or via Instagram: @haylierossjournalism
