Ashley Garner/Contributing Writer
Many students may not know anthropology Professor Phyllis Baker by name, but they probably have seen her once or twice on campus in her worldly ensembles, such as a traditional canary yellow Indian tunic and pants paired with a heavy gold choker and chandelier earrings.
“I’ve learned how to embrace [clothing] on as many levels as possible, and the older you get, you understand there are many possibilities to putting colors together, pieces together, ideas together. It’s just a bunch of ideas; it’s expression and some of us need it. We need that freedom. I am who I am, and I embrace who I am,” said Baker.
What is style and where does it come from? What does it say about us as a collective people and individually? These are all questions that loomed in my mind after my first encounter with Baker. When you look around the world, each culture has their own specific style and at the same time we as individuals within that culture can create a style that is all our own. “Even the poorest women in towns would have on beautiful hats, particularly when they went to church. Their clothes were their art. It was their politics, a way of making them feel good about themselves and a way of sharing culture,” said Baker about her world travels.
Although Baker does it effortlessly, I often worry myself about not wanting to offend people of the culture I am adorning that day. I don’t want them to think that I am wearing their traditional garments out of ignorance, but instead out of respect. “It’s like you’re embracing who they are and for many of them they want to be affirmed in their culture. I like other people and I want to bring their stuff into my world,” said Baker.
After discussing how other cultures have influenced her style, Baker described her style as “synergist.” “I like to mix and match, merge things together. I’m an alchemist,” said Baker.
Baker, who teaches the class Myths, Rituals, and Mysticism describes how her class has influenced her style. “A part of embracing mysticism and anthropology is tapping into creativity from around the world. When I travel, I like to observe the way people live their lives and how they get meaning from life, and while I’m doing that, I’m also absorbing their artistic forms.”
Baker refers to her style as an art that runs deeper than the threads that are used to make it. It is a philosophy, a perspective and something that can be completely unique and individual while simultaneously embracing the world around us.
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