By Margarita Neplokh

The News has come to find out that there are many with undiscovered fashionable qualities that contribute to the Northeastern community everyday.

Fashion scenes can range from different types such as Emo, Ska, Punk, hip-hop, Electro, and the scene examined here, Rave. Jessica Tirado, a freshman human services major, frequents raves and embodies the Raver style, incorporating it into the Northeastern community.

Jessica, whose favorite activity is dancing, grew up in the Bronx, then moved to Westchester, a nearby suburb, when she was in middle school. She currently holds two jobs, one working for raversonly.com as a message board moderator, and the other working for a promotion company called Columns of Knowledge – she helps pass out flyers and spread the word about upcoming events.

The Northeastern News: You mentioned that you loved to dance at raves, how does that type of music influence you to dress in this certain way?

Jessica Tirado: Colorful, outrageous clothing has always been a part of rave culture, going back to the days when the scene was still completely underground. Since the atmosphere at raves is centered around the principle of P.L.U.R.R. (Peace, Love, Unity, Respect and Responsibility) and unconditional acceptance, people are encouraged to dress in however way they choose, not having to worry about conforming to what everyone else wears in everyday life in order to be seen as “normal.” Ravers like to wear thin, extremely baggy wind pants (UFOs) because their size allows your movements to flow easier when you’re dancing, and the thickness of the material helps air circulate through so your body can stay ventilated when constantly moving around. These pants also usually have parachute ties at the bottom in order to prevent tripping over the sides, in case they are too long or too baggy.

The News: Is there a certain uniform that you tend to see people wearing at raves that would characterize them as ravers?

Tirado: It is undeniable that nowadays, rave culture has become much more commercialized than in the early 90’s when the scene first emerged. Because of this, many people tend to stereotype the way that ravers dress to be UFOs, bright colors and lots of plastic jewelry. Many of times when I offer to take my some of my friends to their first party, they choose to dress in this type of outfit because they know it will help them stand out less.

Though the traditional “rave” outfit is designed for practicality purposes when dancing all night, it also becomes a way for people to pick out the “newbies” and “non-party kids” by looking at the way they dress. It shouldn’t matter to anyone how long you’ve been in the scene, or the way you look when you go to parties – but with the commercialization of the scene, it’s almost become a trend.

The News: Can you briefly describe a scene or genre that you were part of that contributes to your style ethic?

Tirado: Before I got into the rave scene, I would dress in whatever I found comfortable, like jeans and t-shirts, nothing fancy. I did go through a “skater” clothes phase in high school though.

The News: Is there a style of dressing that you admire that influences your decisions on dressing?

Tirado: I admire any style that people can wear with confidence, to express themselves. I think that if you enjoy dressing the way you do, do it for the purpose of pleasing yourself, not other people. That is what makes a style admirable.

The News: What is one piece of clothing that you cannot live without?

Tirado: I always wear my black hat; it goes with everything I own and helps me hide my hair when it gets messed up from dancing.

The News: If you could buy one piece of clothing to complete your wardrobe what would it be?

Tirado: A pair of khaki, baggy-as-hell overalls from the “Auraze” catalog, but they’re $70 so I’ll have to wait on that one.