A close-up of orange butterfly clips, an action shot of a girl walking away donning a black leather coat with white boots, a boy sitting back in a lawn chair with a Yankees baseball hat over his eyes, and a trio of friends wearing various shades of green are all captured on @dressedfordistraction, an Instagram account created by Blake Bertero ’22 to celebrate the fashion scene at Choate.
The name of the account is a reference to the dress code at the School. A quick glance over Choate’s dress code will reveal phrases such as “no exposed midriffs” and “clothes that bare the back,” citing “respect for the learning environment and the comfort of other members of the community.” Bertero believes these restrictions stem from the notion that certain parts of the female body distract men in the workplace, making it necessary for women to cover up. The name “Dressed for Distraction” rebels against this censorship of women’s bodies. “That’s the point, we are dressed to distract — it’s kind of sarcastic,” she said.
Bertero created the account with hopes to inspire creativity within the student body’s style choices and to empower people to dress for themselves. “I’m a very big fan of experimentation,” she said. “The ability for me to try a bunch of new things shows people that they can do it as well.”
In addition, Bertero recognized the noticeable divide between male and female-identifying fashion on campus. With this fashion account, she strives to encourage the whole student body, no matter their gender, to feel more comfortable expressing themselves through their fashion. “The girls dress [like] it’s a fashion show — the girls strut around campus. The guys, I mean sure there are some that do it, but in general I do think [fashion is] pretty segregated,” said Bertero.
Some of this division, Bertero explained, stems from the toxic masculinity standards of male gender expression. By featuring male-identifying individuals on her Instagram account and showing off their outfits, Bertero hopes to combat arbitrary gender stereotypes. “Bridging the gender divide within fashion is such a statement, but I don’t think it needs to be such a statement. Instead, [I’m showing] just a spectrum of clothing.”
Since creating the account, Bertero has noticed the changes in people’s willingness to embrace more pronounced outfits. “Some even came up to me and said that seeing my outfits and the looks that I posted on @dressedfordistraction empowered them to wear the clothes that really represent them because they realized that there is no need to dress like other people — there is no rule in dressing,” said Bertero.
