Costober continues with the Baby-Sitter’s Club’s west coast transplant and vocal Social Justice Warrior, Dawn Schafer.
About the Look
I grew up with the Baby-Sitters Club book series and like most of its avid readers there was one babysitter I most identified with. Dawn was vegetarian, an environmentalist, and a free spirit. She was a breezy girl from California which made her a nonconformist in Connecticut. Eventually she chose to return to the west coast and I yearned to escape with her.
But Dawn didn’t get a lot of respect in my BSC circles. The critique I remember the most was “Dawn has no personality beyond eating granola”. Ouch!, I thought, what’s that say about me? Even when she placed high in rankings, it was suggested she had nothing to offer beyond being “cool”. And for the record, I never thought I was cool as a tween or teen, but I did think I was a Dawn. So I’m thrilled that the recent Netflix series a) is so GOOD and b) leans into Dawn’s outspoken politics and freewheeling personality.
About My Look
Cynthia Summers, the Netflix series’ costume designer, describes Dawn’s look as a “Cali boho casual/skater vibes hybrid”. She wears layers and mixes patterns with color, graphics, and slogans. She’s playful, like Claudia, but practical, like Kristy.
Like I said, I’m a Dawn, so everything in this look came from my closet. The Herbivore Dino shirt is a Goodie Two Sleeves design, though this particular one is discontinued. The giraffe shirt and the pink Converse were previously purchased at a thrift store. The star earrings and the Rebel socks were gifted to me. The ‘Feminist’ necklace was purchased on Etsy.
The two mini-buns hairstyle is also one I’ve long worn, even when, as now, my hair is short for it. I was initially inspired by Sailor Moon, another warrior for love and justice.
The ACLU umbrella was won by me and my daughter at GeekGirlCon some years ago. The arboretum is named in memory of my mother, Kerste deBoer. The 50 kW solar photovoltaic (PV) system was installed beside the arboretum to add renewable energy to New England’s grid and prepare Wesleyan University long-term for carbon neutrality.
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