Perspective: To Swag or Not to Swag, that is the question: Bringing our way of thinking to light

I start off by asking a question we don't commonly ask ourselves. We hear the phrase everyday, it's quoted in mix tapes and printed on shirts, but what is swag? What does it mean to have it, and is it even a good thing?

The stereotype that African-Americans are superficial and materialistic is evidently proven as we roam campus, city sidewalks, and public transportation, saying the phrase "That's swag" or "I'm going to cop those when they come out," so let's not pretend we aren't. However, is being materialistic necessarily a bad thing?

Many people buy clothes, sneakers, bags, snapbacks, and jeans because they want to belong to something greater than themselves. They feel that their attire represents a piece of their personality and character. I know we've all heard the saying "you can tell a lot about a person by the way they dress"--if they're laid back, hood, a hipster, a skater, a show-off, an intellectual, or even a lame.

This is why some of us guys will go broke buying the new Supreme fingerless gloves--I myself had to buy a pair--or why women will spend all their money at Forever 21, even though their parents said use it for groceries. It's all a cycle, a personality driven cycle, and I'm fine with it.

It would be unhealthy to come to Howard and change your style and the way you act because you want to fit in and be accepted, but it's perfectly fine if you feel that other people's choices of clothing represents the inner you in a better light.

So go find yourself. Cut your weave and go natural, trade in the loafers for the new Jordan's, exterminate the baggy T's for button downs, or trade in the Polo hats for The Hundreds. It's all about knowing who you are without breaking the bank to do it.

Kanye spoke for all of us when he said, "We're all self-conscious; I'm just the first to admit it."

Caleb Logan is a sophomore film major from Chicago, Ill.