FEATURED VOICES:
Queer Feature: Kristina Bopp
In Collaboration with Manhattan University Pride Center
Question: How has your style evolved as you’ve grown into your queer identity?
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Answer: Growing up, I never felt as though my look truly embodied who I was. There was no queer representation in my life as a kid; the person who I imagined myself being was in no way who I am today. In my head, I was meant to be this confident, hyper-feminine girl who loved dresses and makeup, but not too much to where I looked like I tried too hard. It had to be just enough to where I would catch a man's eye. That model of a woman never Felt correct. The dresses, the girly makeup, hell, the man. Nothing about it seemed right to me, and it led to me having a personal war with self confidence in my teen years. Things
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began to change as I learned more about the LGBTQ community, and when I started to identify as queer. As my confidence grew and I became more comfortable in my skin, the idea of wearing clothes that weren’t as “girlish” didn’t seem as intimidating. Coming to college only exemplified all these feelings. I began dressing in a more gender neutral fashion, and it seemed like everything I chose fit on me, and it made me feel like the best version of myself. My femininity is something I wouldn’t trade for the world. However, my definition of what being feminine is no longer revolves around looking straight; It is about looking like me. ​​