“Fashion is for everyone”: FIU Pride Center’s GenderChill Fashion Show

Andres Rivera | Staff Writer

The Pride Center and guests show off their styling skills in an inclusive fashion show at FIU’s Modesto Maidique campus. 

Models used the Deuxieme Maison’s hanging gardens as a backdrop to create a mystical atmosphere in pictures. 

Indee Williams, the Pride Center program coordinator, reflected on past fashion shows and how they helped the program.

“Last year we had our first annual GenderChill, the gender justice fashion show which is a LGBTQIA+ centered fashion show that focuses on breaking the binary and encouraging body inclusivity,” said Williams.

The hosts recognized that students might have a hard time breaking out of their shell and showing off their unique fashion.

“The first step is the hardest step, but once you get in front of the audience, and you get a taste of what it’s like to be your brave authentic self, you’ll see that others will come to love you just as much as you love yourself,” said Williams. 

Ashley Santoro, an FIU student and marine biology major, shared why she came to the photoshoot and how she explored a new way to express herself.

“I decided to come out because I started getting into fashion in general. It’s definitely something I wanted to explore to learn more about art, exploring myself, developing my taste and how I want to express myself,” said Santoro. 

“[Fashion] is really important for people to find themselves and make sense of their identities and their feelings too.”

With events like these, the Pride Center aims to give a safe space for students trying to find a like-minded community and express their feelings how they want to. 

“This is a great oppurtunity to join a loving supportive community if [someone] didn’t have it originally, ” said Santoro.