— jessica rish (she/her) (@rishjessica_) May 16, 2019
Caroline Schlegel has always been a rule follower since she was young, but despite it, all finds balance with rebellion in her everyday life.
Schlegel has dabbled in rebellion, whether it be bending gender norms or cutting her hair and dying it pink, but the moment that sticks out the most for her is her academic rebellion.
“I feel like a lot of rebellion that I have personally done has revolved around like I think an assignment in school has been stupid so I found a loophole to get like through it,” said Schlegel.
Schlegel had been raised by the rebellious movement of alternative music and holds a strong belief that rebellion is vital to society, whether it is small acts of change for yourself or change that will impact the world.
“Rebellion can exist on an intimate level, or it can be on a public scale,” said Schlegel. “I think it’s anything making a difference.”
Chicago style is rebellious in nature and is about juxtaposition and searching for the right piece to make it your own. Chicago style mixes thrifted items with current trends.
A major trend in Chicago style is wearing a lot of accessories. From rings and belts to ear piercings. Photo Jessica Rish.
A key component that sets Chicago style a part from other trends in fashion is layering. Photo Jessica Rish.
Chicago style is all about making it your own. Ethan Lawrence added drawings to his jeans to make them more personal to his own style. Photo Jessica Rish.
“If I am doing something simple I’m probably wearing these pair of jeans that flare at the bottom and are bleached, a t-shirt, and then my favorite denim jacket, and these JW Anderson Converse that I have” said Alec Baumrind when describing his favorite outfit. Jessica Rish Photo.
“[My perfect outfit is] looser fitting bottoms, preferably a jean with a nice street shoe, like an airforce one, and then a plain t-shirt,” said Lawrence when describing his go to look. Photo Jessica Rish.
Chicago is a city that has been built on rebellion and has continued to be a city that houses rebellion. These themes of rebellion and innovation can be found all over the city of Chicago whether it is an organization that is educating the youth about the importance of voting or a new underground band. This Chicago rebellion has broken off into a more significant movement, Chicago style, a fashion movement that is mixing rebellion with innovative trends that have taken the city by storm.
Sophomores at DePaul University, Alec Baumrind, and Ethan Lawrence are both involved in the Chicago fashion scene paying attention to the ever-changing trends and new designers popping up on the scene. A constant theme is rebellion in the streetwear of Chicago, but it is more about the people that are wearing the clothes than the clothes itself.
“My style is rebellious in the sense that my style is just an extension of me,” said Lawrence. “Whether it is obvious or not who you are as a person is automatically extend into what you wear, what you say and how you interact with other people.”
Rebellion is not just about the clothes and breaking fashion norms, it is about the rebellious people creating rebellious pieces. Self-made Chicago designer, Joe Freshgoods has created cutting edge designs that have been worn by LeBron James and Chance the Rapper. Freshgoods is the creative mind behind the brand Don’t be Mad and is taking Chicago and the rest of the world by storm with his rebellious approaches to fashion. “Even if you don’t think my shit is that good, you are going to know about it,” said Freshgoods.
While Freshgoods is becoming more popular on the mainstream level that comes with some downsides and continues to push the envelope to make Chicago a more fashion-forward city. The people that support Freshgoods and Don’t be Mad don’t do it because they like the brand and what it represents.
“Chicago Twitter told me to go crazy so I go crazy,” said Freshgoods.
Freshgoods is one of the many people taking steps to create more rebellious themes in the fashion industry, but these revolutionary movements start small with local creators.
“I see it more on a local level, than with the people high up in the industry,” said Baumrind. “People are creating at a better level when they have less resources. The creator is pretty rebellious in the first place to create.”
Local creators are trying to break fashion norms whether it is piecing together items that don’t make sense, putting chains on their shoes, or even making their own clothes altogether.
As a whole, the fashion industry has become more rebellious due to the number of people setting out to create. These small creators are influencing the mainstream trends. Freshgoods knows all about this due to the fact that some of his designs have been imitated before.
“People at the top are getting their ideas and inspiration from people that aren’t as well known, and that’s why what you think is new is something that you have already seen before,” said Baumrind.
Rebellion is becoming a bigger statement in the fashion industry because more people are being more rebellious in all walks of life. These people are the ones that are creating the trends that eventually become mainstream.
“I think more especially today,” said Lawrence. “I see way more different looks then I used to and people are leaving the house wearing stuff that you normally wouldn’t see.”
Some of the most common rebellious trends in fashion currently are but not limited to oversized clothing, wearing a lot of accessories, piercings and unisex clothing and blending the lines of masculinity and femininity. These trends can be found all over social media and the streets of Chicago.
A map exploring the relationship between murals and traffic speed cameras in the Chicago area. Data courtesy https://data.cityofchicago.org/
Rebellion is a spectrum. Acts of rebellion can be simple or extravagant. This map explores the common and extreme themes of rebellion.
Graffiti and street art is a common form of rebellion, as a lot of street art and murals allude to other rebellious movements and is often illegal. In the city of Chicago, street art and murals are protected as they enhance the appearance of the city and because artists spend a lot of time on these large installments of public art.
Chicago created the Mural Registry to catalog street art in the city. Artists, organizations, and building owners can protect murals through the registry, and each work of art is assigned an ID so that people can locate the public art.
While it may not seem like a form of rebellion, but going over the speed limit and speeding is a common form of rebellion. According to creditdonkey.com, about 112,000 drivers in the United States are ticketed every day for speeding.
Due to the number of people that speed there have been many installments of speed cameras to catch and ticket people who drive over the speed limit. In the city of Chicago alone, there are 162 cameras to catch rebellious drivers.
Torres got her first tattoo in the summer of 2018. Her tattoo is a game piece from the game La Loteria, a game that reminds her of her family and her own identity. Torres photo.
In the summer of 2018, Andrea Torres did something for herself and got her first tattoo. It was a decision that was made with a lot of contemplation. Torres had to choose what she wanted permanently tattooed on her body and suffer the consequences of what her parents would think about the new addition to her body if they ever found out.
Torres finally acted out on her dreams of having a tattoo when she was turning 20 at the famous Chicago tattoo shop, Chicago Tattoo and Piercing Company off of the Redline Belmont stop.
“It was important for me to get my tattoo because it was the first purely selfish thing I’d ever done,” said Torres. “I do a lot to make sure others are happy and feeling okay, but I rarely take care of myself. It was kind of like treating myself for being who I am.”
Torres tattoo has only been a part of her body for almost a year, but the meaning has been with her a lifetime. Torres’ tattoo is the rose playing card from a Mexican bingo game called Lotería.
“My parents immigrated here from Mexico, so my tattoo is representative of my heritage and reminds me of where I come from and why I’m here,” said Torres.
Though Torres’ tattoo is a symbol of her and her family’s life she knew her parents might not approve of her decision but still went through with getting a tattoo even if it meant she had to deal with the consequences later.
“It was kind of an act of rebellion! I didn’t intend for it to be that way, but it was really fun to just have a little secret for me and myself only,” said Torres. “I don’t think I’ve done anything more rebellious than that.”
Torres did her best to hide the tattoo from her parents, but it did not last long due, and her parents eventually found out about her act of rebellion, and to Torres’ surprise, they were okay with her decision.
“I tried to keep it from my parents because they were raised in a society that looks down on tattoos, but I guess I wear too many crop tops,” said Torres. “My dad said he actually liked it, and my mom complained about why it was so big, but admitted she thought it was pretty.”
Although Torres’ rebellion did not last long, she is thankful that her decision was met with positive feedback, especially from her parents and would consider getting another tattoo in the future but more importantly wants to keep doing things for herself even if it means rebelling.
The iconic “Mom” tattoo for some would be considered a symbol of rebellion. This neon on sign that sits on the back wall of the Tattoo Factory is one of the many odes to rebellion that exsist within the shop. Photo Jessica Rish
Tattoo Factory in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood is bustling on a late Thursday night. Multiple people fill the shop browsing the artwork that covers the walls, anxiously awaiting their appointment and checking out their new body modifications in the mirror. While everyone at the shop is different, they come together over one thing; doing something for themselves even if it means going against someone else.
Chris Von Zeleny is the head piercing technician at the Tattoo Factory and describes the shop as a house of rebellion. Von Zeleny has seen a lot of people come into the shop or the house of rebellion, but there is one demographic that Von Zeleny sees more than others.
“Almost 50 percent of people usually it is their first piercing or tattoo,” said Von Zeleny. “And usually they are college students in their freshman year that are just looking for something rebellious to do because they no longer are in high school and they want to rebel against their parents.”
DePaul freshman Megan Harnaga fits that demographic. The low hum from the needle overpowers the radio and conversation that fills the shop as she gets one of her tattoos touched up. Harnaga got her first tattoo back in November even knowing that it was a decision that her parents would not approve of.
“It was something that I wanted to do for a long time, so I decided it was the perfect opportunity to do it and maybe it was a little rebellious,” said Harnaga.
Harnaga got a small star on her wrist in honor of Lady Gaga and was not surprised by her parent’s reaction when she came home for break.
“Yeah, they were pissed,” said Harnaga while laughing. “I really don’t care too much about their thoughts on tattoos though because a week later I got a bigger tattoo on my arm and have been hiding that one for quite some time now, so I wonder how it will go when I finally build up the courage to tell them.”
Von Zeleny and Harnaga both have rebelled against figures of authority, but Von Zeleny encourages people not to take it too far.
The most rebellious thing I have ever done has been rebelling against the law, but I wouldn’t take it that far,” said Von Zeleny. “Rebellion is good fun if you are doing it for the all right reasons and not all the wrong reasons.”
Tattoo Factory is located on 4441 N Broadway, Chicago, IL 60640. The shop’s hours of operation are from 10am to 2am seven days a week.
Jessica rish 