Have you ever found yourself scrolling through Pinterest looking at every influencer’s amazing feed wishing your board would come to life? Well, here is how to make that happen.
Boarding students at Webb have more restrictions on ways they can live out their Pinterest boards compared to their day student peers. This is anywhere from, decorating their rooms, the dress code during the academic day, and finding available rides off campus to take them to different places that would help them achieve their intended look. With Webb restrictions, even day students can struggle to live out their Pinterest board life when it comes to the dress code.
A major issue that boarders face are the decorating rules that Webb has in place. The Webb School’s 2022-23 student handbook states, “Candles with open flames are never permitted… or any other device that may create a fire hazard are not permitted,”
The handbook also states that “No tapestries or other decorations may be hung from the ceiling without specific permission of the dorm head, who must also approve all decorations for safety and appropriateness.”
While Webb has valid reasons for these restrictions, like making sure students do not get hurt or create a fire hazard, it is obvious that these rules might limit some ways boarders can express themselves.
Having said this, there are multiple ways for boarders to express their aesthetic even with these restrictions placed on the decorations they can use. For example, if a boarder wanted to hang a tapestry on their ceiling, they could hang it on their wall instead, still giving off a similar vibe.
A common theme among Webb students, when asked about achieving their dream vibe when they first moved into Webb, is that they decorated their rooms first.
“Yeah, decorating my room to feel like it’s home and fit my aesthetic was definitely the first thing I started with, because adding personal aspects in my room helped fit my vibe better, and give me giving a homey feel.” said Eva Cress Palencia (‘25).
Some styles can tend to violate the Webb dress code which can cause some students to wear pieces that do not let them express their aesthetic. On the other hand, it could help some students branch out and try some new styled clothing or stay in their aesthetic with different types of clothes.
“When it comes to looks, it’s really hard to stay in my style during the school day, but I try to keep it to some degree where it still sticks to my style, like wearing all black.” said Samara Kamal (‘25).
A pro tip on how to stay in your aesthetic even during the academic day, is making your color scheme still match your dream vibe. Color schemes are the main aspects of Pinterest boards, either adding or detracting from the vibe of your dream life.
For example, if you have a grunge aesthetic, you can always find some colors and patterns that match the grunge style that you’re going for. Such as dark colored jeans and shirts, jewelry, etc. However, if your style already is more full coverage then this may not be the biggest issue for you.
“The dress code doesn’t play a role in my ability to live out my Pinterest board, I feel like my style is generally full coverage, so it’s not an issue for me personally.” said Mick Adkins (‘23).
Another thing boarders tend to struggle with is finding a ride to leave campus to go to places like cafes, stores, and more that would help them fulfill their Pinterest board aesthetic. Getting rides outside of campus can help students go to stores and find decorations for dorms or clothing to match their Pinterest aesthetic. This is especially a struggle if the place they plan to go to is not included in the list of available Webb runs. A pro-tip on how to solve this problem is writing to Ken Rosenfeld, the Dean of Student Life, and recommending the place you would like to go as a possible option for a Webb run.
“As long as they give me enough notice and it’s within a reasonable radius, with enough people who want to go, we can usually make the Webb run work.” Mr. Rosenfeld said.
Mr. Rosenfeld mentioned that a reasonable radius would be a 30-minute drive or less with at least one week’s notice. If your recommendation is not possible for a Webb run, you could ask one of your day student’s friends to take you there! This is a great idea if your friend shares the same interests as you. Plus, it’s a great way to hang out with someone on the weekend, too.
All of these different tips can help guarantee the Pinterest board life you have been longing for, whether that is more opportunities to go off campus to places not offered by Webb, the ways you can decorate your room, or even as simple as what you can wear during the academic day.
