Lizzie McGuire You Are an Outfit Repeater

Our sense of style is rooted in many influences. From our family to popular culture, many inspirations mold our personal understanding of fashion. As a girl growing up in the late 90s and early 2000s, my fashion icons were beloved by many; however, they always seemed to speak to me personally.

My longest and truest fashion crush was and remains the great Lizzie McGuire. At the age of eight, when I saw Lizzie on that televisions screen, I saw someone who embodied STYLE. From her vast collection of hair accessories, including bandanas and butterfly clips, to her bedazzled, low rise jeans, Lizzie McGuire truly expressed herself through her clothing. I, of course, wanted nothing more than to be JUST like her. When her movie premiered in theaters, I was there opening day dressed head to toe in the Lizzie McGuire clothing collection from one of the major department stores.

In Lizzie, I (and a whole generation) found someone both relatable and aspirational... not an easily found combination. This was her superpower. It is why she left such a profound mark on myself and so many others. From Lizzie, I learned to have fun with fashion and to not take it all so seriously. To be EXPRESSIVE through clothing. Oh and of course to accessorize.

Left: Doing my best to be as cool as Lizzie for picture day (sans the Unicorn sweater IYKYK).

Right: My tenth birthday party.... clearly Lizzie inspired the fashion sense of a generation.

My next childhood fashion crush was the forever iconic Cher Horowitz. Although the movie came out when I was two, it was popular throughout my childhood (to be fair, my mom probably did NOT let me watch it until I was at least ten). Again in Cher, we find someone who uses fashion as an art of expression. Although maybe slightly less relatable than Lizzie with her designer brands and COMPUTER OPERATED CLOSET (forever the closet of my dreams... 90s technology included), Cher still always had fun with fashion. It was her way to show the world WHO she was.

These two fictional women gave me a sense of style that has carried on throughout my adult life. Yes, I have been known to attend my fair share of costume parties as Cher Horowitz. But, beyond a literal recreation, Cher and Lizzie have also helped me understand how to express myself through clothing in an important way. How to be BOLD and FEARLESS. How to to be UNAPOLOGETIC. How to be FUN. How to be ME.

And according to my TikTok viewing, both of these fashion queens are making a great resurgence. The fashion trends of my youth are back. I saw an influencer wearing butterfly clips. I repeat butterfly clips. THANKS ZOOMERS.