Rick ter Stal (29)
Third-year Journalism student
How would you describe your outfit?
“A whole load of everything, which also speaks to my own eclectic, layered nature. Poetry is my greatest passion. A very free art form, drawing its inspiration from the past. That’s how I choose my clothes too: I love retro style. I like to push the boundaries, but at the same time want to remain presentable. Sometimes I throw in some feminine elements.”
Has this always been your style?
“I’ve been searching for a long time. But since I’ve come out with my poetry and been on stage, I’ve learned to express my identity through clothing. On stage, you have to accept that people are looking at you. The more you throw yourself into the deep end, the smaller the step becomes to being less bothered by people having opinions.”
What do you like wearing most?
“Something with lots of layers. For example, a coat over this blazer, over this cardigan, over this shirt. It’s one of the few reasons I love winter. I find all those layers stylish! And at the same time, it works like sort of armor. I feel very comfortable in it.”
Does your moustache need a lot of care?
“It took years for it to reach its full potential. But now that it’s here, I just need to trim it down a bit. I like having a bit of a masculine edge. As a society, we want to let go of thinking in boxes so everyone can be who they are. I fully support that. But I don’t believe we should abandon the old definitions. We should celebrate differences; they don’t have to stand in the way of who you ultimately want to become.”
text: Michelle van der Molen
photo: Jasper van Overbeek
