Don't you love it when a conversation makes you stop and think, "Huh... I wonder why that is?" Not because someone is preaching or lecturing, but because they've made you curious enough to pause and reflect. To see something you've encountered, or a choice you've made without even realizing it, in an entirely different way.
That's what it's like speaking with the ever curious and endlessly engaging Dr. Marcus Collins.
Collins calls himself a "student" because he studies culture and its influence on human behavior. It's an understated way to describe someone who is also the bestselling author of For the Culture, a marketing professor at the U-M Ross School of Business, podcast host, and former leader of Beyoncé's digital strategy team.
Collins’ fascination with culture began after what he describes as an "intervention" over dinner in New York City with a friend who was a social worker. The conversation sent him down a path of studying behavioral science, sociology, anthropology and psychology, ultimately leading him to a realization that now underpins his work: culture is the lens through which people make meaning of the world around them.
So, what does all of that have to do with style?
As it turns out, everything.
Collins argues that style doesn't begin with clothing. Instead, he describes style as a "cultural aesthetic."
"The way that we present ourselves to the world is an identity project. The question we ask ourselves is, 'Who am I, and who do I want to present myself as?' The stylings that we take on become reflections of that," he says.
But where does that identity come from? According to Collins, it doesn't develop in isolation. It's shaped by the people around us, the communities we belong to, the values we embrace and the experiences that influence how we see the world. In other words, identity itself is a product of culture.
"Style and fashion aren't superficial expressions,” he says. “They're cultural works that help carve out our place in the world."
Which raises an interesting question: Is style ultimately about self-expression or belonging?
"Both," Collins says without hesitation.
He describes it as a constant tension. We want to fit in, but we also want to stand out. It's an internal negotiation: "I don't want to look too crazy, but I also don't want to look like everyone else."
But culture doesn't stand still. Neither does style. Over time, both redefine what's considered acceptable. Collins brings the idea to life with examples that make you laugh because they're true. Twenty years ago, he says, someone with an arm full of tattoos might have been viewed as "a degenerate." Wear sweatpants in public, and people assumed you'd given up on life. Today, you can be a Fortune 500 CEO with full sleeves, and an entire industry has been built around athleisure. The tattoos didn't change. The sweatpants didn't change. Our culture did. And with it, what we considered acceptable.
Of course, not everyone influences culture in the same way. Some people shape it, becoming enduring icons, while others simply reflect the trends of the moment.
That led me to wonder about one of the biggest icons of them all. Knowing Collins had worked with Beyoncé earlier in his career, I was curious how someone like her fit into his thinking about style.
Collins smiles.
"I'd say Beyoncé is an icon who has her own style, but it's not a style people copy. You don't see people walking around in leotards," he says with a laugh. "Same thing with Prince or Michael Jackson. They had a style of their own and they were iconic, but they weren't styles that people mimicked."
Instead, Collins points to artists like Rihanna, Drake, Travis Scott and even "old" Kanye West during his early "pink polo" era as examples of styles people could adopt. Their looks were "advanced yet acceptable," pushing culture forward without venturing so far that people couldn't see themselves wearing them. But when Kanye traded those colorful polos for black leather kilts, the reaction changed. "People were like, 'I'm okay. You do you,'" Collins says.
His point? The styles that catch on aren't necessarily the boldest. They're the ones that push the boundaries just enough to feel new and different, while still feeling attainable.
As our conversation ended, I realized we'd started by talking about style, but what we were really exploring was identity, culture and, ultimately, what it means to live authentically.
So, I ask Collins one final question: What does it look like when someone has truly found their own style, not just in how they dress, but in how they live?
"Freedom," he answers without hesitation.
"Once you realize who you are, you're free. So many of us want that, but we're afraid of what it takes to get there. The people we admire most aren't evaluating themselves based on someone else's appraisal. They're simply living as themselves."
Learn more at drmarcuscollins.com
"The way that we present ourselves to the world is an identity project. The question we ask ourselves is, 'Who am I, and who do I want to present myself as?' The stylings that we take on become reflections of that."