Striped, plaid or ribbed, “Stripes Monday” has no limits. Every Monday without fail, Abby True ‘25 displays a collection of student-worn stripes on her influential Stripes Monday Instagram account. On the account, viewers will see True’s friends posing (or sniped from far away by True herself) on campus, as well as Davidson graduates and family members showing off their mix-matched, versatile stripes from all over the country. The idea came to True during her junior spring as a way to brighten up the usual drab nature of Mondays. “I was in a lot of classes and was really exhausted all the time because I was staying up doing the readings the night before, so I was hating Mondays [but] loving stripes so I started doing this thing where I would wear stripes every Monday,” she described.

Inspired by the “We Are Stripes” Instagram account, True decided to make Stripes Monday more widespread in order to document her experience this past fall. “I was super charmed by [We Are Stripes], so then I made the Instagram account and now it has a lot more followers than I thought it would,” she said.

Her intentions were to both bring joy into people’s lives and create a fun tradition. “Nobody enjoys Mondays, so my hope is that it’s a little bit of fun to brighten up an otherwise unfortunate day,” she said. True also enjoys the nature of the platform. “I really enjoy a novelty Instagram account, and I think that’s what Instagram should be about. Also, it’s really fun to have something I can look back at and see every week of my senior year.”

For True, the striped pattern includes many outfits. She explains that what is considered “striped” is a “really hot-button question, because I have a lot of friends that are really mad that I include such things as ribbed clothing and a vague stripe pattern on the Instagram account, but [all that matters is] if someone is in the spirit of Stripes Monday.” The account is inclusive and the trend has spread all over campus over the past few months. Often, True must make two or three posts to include each submission.  

Even so, True ensures that stripes standards are met. “I’m not ever gonna tell someone no if they want to be on the Instagram account, unless it was offensively not stripes,” True explained. “I would probably say no, but I haven’t done that yet.” In fact, True even considers submissions with plaid outfits. “I like plaid, it is very controversial if I should include plaid or not, but I do since it’s stripes on stripes.” 

Kathleen Degnan ‘27 consistently partakes in Stripes Monday. “Stripes Monday is awesome because it really contributes to a sense of community at Davidson and everyone rallying behind one thing.” 

Like Degnan, Abigail Przynosch ‘27 is also a fan of this simple tradition. “It doesn’t matter if you have stripes on your underwear, your hat or your sweater, everything is appreciated and adds to the excitement. I feel like Stripes Monday is about inclusivity through a medium of fashion.”

As a Nummit barista, Annelise Hawgood ‘27 gets to see the ripple effects of Stripes Monday each week. “There is no greater joy than seeing a cluster of customers dressed in the same stripey attire,” she exclaimed. “I love Stripes Monday like I love making Abby True’s coffee order (drip in a to-go mug, no cream, no sugar). It’s effortless, wholesome and down-to-earth fun.”

If you see the one and only Abby True in person on a Monday, she will take your photo. Submissions can also be made through Instagram DMs, which is important since Stripes Monday extends beyond the Davidson campus. “My mom gets into it sometimes, and my friends from home when I was home over winter break,” True said. “So I’m hopeful that one day it will go global.”

The future of Stripes Monday is uncertain as the semester rolls into its penultimate month. “I really wanna carry it into the summer because I think it just gives me something to look forward to and something fun to start my week,” Degnan said. 

For those worried that the tradition will not live on after True’s graduation, they need not fear, as she has a tentative plan. “[My plan is to] make one of my friends keep doing it here, and I’m gonna keep wearing stripes every day in my postgraduate life. I hope people really take advantage of the Instagram DM submission option.”

True recommends that people stop by Nummit on Mondays to see the most stripes possible and, of course, to pose for her Instagram. “There’s way more stripes than I ever expected there to be. It’s pretty beautiful.”

Julia Richards ‘27 is an educational studies major from Charleston, SC and can be reached for comment at [email protected].