Bardos 1

KCS Closet 2.0

Jules Bardos

Senior Project 2020

 Bardos 2

Preface

I have always been very into fashion and how I looked. I guess you could say I have

always been a bit insecure about how I looked, which is why I feel I've always been so

concerned about what I looked like. Always making sure my outfits matched with my shoes, my

hair isn’t a complete mess, and that I am just looking put together. I have also always been a fan

of throwing and hosting my own clothing swaps with friends.

My senior project is important for two of the many reasons, fast fashion/recycling your

clothing and the fact that the majority of teens struggle with body image dissatisfaction and have

a difficult time finding clothing items they feel comfortable in. Fast fashion is inexpensive

clothing being rapidly produced by mass-market retailers in response to the latest trends. Body

image dissatisfaction is defined as the negative perceptions and feelings a person has about their

body and is influenced by factors such as body shape and appearance, attitudes towards weight

gain, and cultural norms in relation to an ideal body, according to ​Psychology.org​.

The three components of my senior project are having a clothing drive, setting up closet

and sorting through donations, and finally re-open the KCS Closet. These three components are

key for many reasons. Having and promoting the clothing drives are so important when opening

a thrift closet, because where else would you get your clothing from? Sorting through donations

is important because you’ll have to be selective when sorting through the clothing to see what

you’ll be putting in the closet, you can't just put everything in. Setting up the closet is also

important because you’ll need to make the space welcoming and pleasing to who comes in,

which will cause them to want to come back.

I don’t want anyone in our school to feel uncomfortable in what they want to wear.
 Bardos 3

Introduction

Driving Question:

How can I continue to promote the KCS Closet while also encouraging self love and body

positivity?

Project Goal:

The goal of my project is to continue to open the KCS Closet to the students while being able to

create a space of complete no judgement. I plan on completing this by following a three step

plan. The first step is to make sure the closet space is still available and if so start advertising the

clothing drive. Then, I plan on continually taking in donations while setting up the closet and

sorting through clothing. Finally, I will then be opening the KCS Closet every Wednesday at

lunch.

Key Content Knowledge:

My project will cover are holding and promoting a clothing drive, communicating with teachers

and staff to determine where and when I can have my closet, researching the latest trends to see

what people may be more interested in, and researching ways to diy the closet space into a place

where the students feel comfortable and enjoy coming.

21st Century Skills:

I will be using/demonstrating many of the 21st Century Skills throughout my senior project. I

will be using ​Thinking & Problem Solving​ if and when I come across any of my limitations.

Civic Literacy & Engagement ​throughout the entire project by promoting self worth and body

positivity while promoting the closet and getting students to check it out. ​Communication

throughout the entire project with Mrs. Terry, Ms. Marsh, my mentor and the student body. ​Self
 Bardos 4

Direction​ throughout the entire project I will be completing this 100% on my own, so that means

keeping myself focused and up to date with my timeline. ​Information​ when I have to write the

essay I will have to do a lot of research. I demonstrated ​Interpersona​l skills throughout the entire

project, I did this by actively listening to feedback from peers and staff, responsibility,

dependability when opening the closet, and patience.

Limitations:

My limitations with this project would be not having a space to for the closet, not advertising the

clothing drives and closet well enough, nobody is interested in the closet. I plan to overcome

these limitations by finding out as soon as possible if I have a space, make plenty of

flyers/posters and even promote it on my personal instagram, search pinterest for cute ideas and

look for the trends to keep people interested.

Methodology:

My final products for this project will include the re-opening of KCS Closet, completing and

turning in my blog posts, photos throughout the process, and hopefully I will be able to create a

blog or Instagram to correspond against the closet. I am also planning on creating flyers and

posters to promote my clothing drives.

 Bardos 5

Resources & Activities

Resources/Materials Needed:

In order to get the KCS Closet up and running I will need donations of clothes and other clothing

items. I may also be needing to fundraise $50 to improve the closet space, I would do this by

selling scrunchies that I make during lunch (if I get permission).

Budget:

As of right now I don’t have a budget planned because I will be getting all of the clothing items

donated. Although if I need to improve the space of the closet then I may spend up to $50 to do

so.

Timeline:

August 2019

❏ Brainstorm project ideas ​(Aug. 16)

❏ Elevator pitch ​(Aug. 23)

❏ Contact people *if necessary*

❏ Changed project idea

❏ Driving question ​(Aug. 30)

September 2019

❏ Senior Project Timeline ​(Sept. 6)

❏ Search for closet ideas (pinterest, youtube, blogs)

❏ Make sure I still have a designated room for the closet

 Bardos 6

❏ Project proposal ​(Sept. 13)

❏ Conference w/ Mrs. Terry about project

❏ Progress Presentation 1 ​(Sept. 20)

❏ Expert Interview Reflection ​(Sept. 27)

❏ Figure out if I can/need to fundraise

October 2019

❏ Continue searching for closet design/set-up ideas

❏ Create instagram account or blog

❏ Start making scrunchies for fundraiser

❏ Promote fundraiser to help KCS Closet?

❏ Begin setting up closet

❏ Upload to instagram/blog about upcoming events!

❏ Conference w/ Mrs. Terry on who to talk to for clothing drive

❏ Make & pass out flyers for a Clothing Drive

❏ Clothing Drive starts ​(Oct. 21/28)

November 2019

❏ Gather everything for closet

❏ Upload to instagram/blog about self love/body positivity

❏ Continue promoting clothing drive (possibly on KCNN?)

❏ Continue setting up closet

 Bardos 7

❏ OPEN CLOSET?!! ​(Nov. 13?)

❏ Open closet every wednesday at lunch

❏ Go through clothing & decide what you are going to keep & what we’ll donate

❏ Final Argumentative Essay ​(Nov. 22)

December 2019

❏ Progress Presentation 2 ​(Dec. 6)

❏ Upload to instagram/blog

❏ Open closet every wednesday at lunch

January 2020

❏ Demo Presentation in KCS classroom ​(Jan. 1)

February 2020

❏
 Bardos 8

❏ Final Project Reflection ​(Feb. 14)

❏ Final Presentation & Trifold ​(Feb. 21)

 Bardos 9

Annotated Bibliography

McGuinness, Sarah, and Joanne E Taylor. Understanding Body Image Dissatisfaction

and Disordered Eating in Midlife Adults. Vol. 45, 2016.

This article covers body image and eating behaviours in women and men in midlife

(30-60 years). According to the article, This study aimed to explore the gender

similarities and differences in body dissatisfaction and disordered eating in midlife with a

convenience sample of 187 women and 48 men using an online survey.

The author of this article are Sarah McGuinness and Joanne E Taylor. I found this article

interesting because because as they stated in the article less is known about the effects of

body image and eating disorders in both women and men in their midlife.

While reading this article I have realized that most studies are based around the young

adults in our generation, rather than the women and men in midlife.

Song, Isabel. “The Body Image Issue Plaguing My Generation.” The Huffington Post,

TheHuffingtonPost.com, 30 Sept. 2014,

www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/the-body-image-issue-plag_b_5391157.html​.

This article covers how big of an issue body image really is. It states how growing up all

the dolls and action figures we grow up with are all incredibly skinny and fit and how

magazine models are the same. None of them are ever average or overweight. When

tweens and teens look through magazines they get self conscious and think to themselves
 Bardos 10

that they are overweight because they don’t fit the standards of these women in the

magazines.

The author of this article is Isabel Song and she covered a lot about body image issues

and how they are started. I personally found this article to be very useful and reliable. I

have a better understanding of how body image becomes such a huge thing.

While reading this article I have started to understand how big of an issue this really is

and how the world makes these standards for women to be tall and thin when some

women just aren’t born that way.

Van Vonderen, Kristen E., and William Kinnally. “Figure 2f from: Irimia R, Gottschling M

(2016) Taxonomic Revision of Rochefortia Sw. (Ehretiaceae, Boraginales). Biodiversity Data

Journal 4: e7720. Https://Doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.4.e7720.” Media Effects on Body Image:

Examining Media

Exposure in the Broader Context of Internal and Other Social Factors, 2012,

doi:10.3897/bdj.4.e7720.figure2f.

The main idea of this journal is to show the relation between the media and body image

issues. These journalists discuss the many ways that body image issues and all ways of

social media relate and affect each other.

The writers of this journal, Kristen E. Van Vonderen and William Kinnally, made this

journal very interesting and useful. This is particularly useful to me because I have been

very interested throughout this project how the media and body image issues affect each
 Bardos 11

other. It was also useful to me because I have learned a few different terms that go along

with my topic.

This journal has helped me to understand a lot more on the body image issues relating to

social media. I have realized that girls will most likely still struggle with some body

dissatisfaction but if I am able to help them in the slightest way I feel like I am really

helping these girls.