By Jaly Marquez
Latin American Student Organization (LASO) at Fitchburg State University held its 4th annual fashion show titled “This Is America” on March 20th featuring rapping, dancing, local designers, and plenty of models from within students groups on campus and local talent as well.
President Manuela Sanchez and Vice President Stephanie Diaz of LASO served as the organizers of the event but Ms. Diaz and Kyle Colon hosted the presentation held in a sold-out Hammond Main Lounge.
There were a series of segments the totaled out to 12 different sections. Some of the segments included “Blackout” where the models wore all black and “White season” where they wore an outfit of white color. There were a variety of students performing an array of acts and for a show that lasted almost two hours the $5 admission fee was a small price to pay.
The vice president of LASO Diaz, a sophomore, Business Management major, hosted along with the help of co-host Colon. The two managed to keep the large crowd lively and engaged during segment breaks by having a series of raffles throughout the show.
All the models were given free reign to choose an outfit that best represented them but also paired well with the segment’s theme. Senior Biology major Jones Yeans wore a black dress, pearls and a black blazer for the “Blackout” segment and chose the outfit because “I feel like this outfit represents my character and what I stand for. I’m all about looking like a businesswoman because that’s what I want to be in the future.”
The fashion show was a representation of the great diversity within Fitchburg State’s harbors. The title of the show was created by Stephanie Diaz and she states, “I was listening to Childish Gambino’s This Is America and I realized that there was so much more to it and I wanted to give a message of empowerment to the students and show them that even if we’re minorities that we all have cultures that are really rich.”
Some of the local talents that performed was a step team all the way from Worcester State. They were a group of only women that gave the message of the Black Panthers through their dance. There were also a few designers featured on the runway such as Love Overpowers Hate that also sold their merchandise during as well as after the show.
The final segment of the show “This is America” allowed the models to showcase where they came from and many of them chose to wear traditional clothing from their country. Diaz ended the show by saying, “No matter what color we are, what religion we practice, what sexuality we’re attracted to, we all make America.”
"This is America:" LASO Hosts 4th Annual Fashion Show
March 24, 2019
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