The Story Behind Shizuke and Fashion
I am a sucker for clothes telling a story so my OCs end up changing clothes a lot across my MLB au. Most only have subtle changes like Blair's palette favoring more orange as time goes by or Natalia changes her hair style a lot after getting dumped until she settles on a ponytail... But it's Shizuke who actually has the most drastic shifts as a whole.
Here's something I've been flipflopping over but... What if Shizuke had a punk goth era? Shizuke, the glasses guy who's always dressed like a prep and is the poster child for the Asian nerd stereotype (except not really he ain't book smart enough for that)? He used to wear matching outfits with his delinquent friend Fiona. Their friendship isn't actually that odd.
This isn't just for the fun gap moe contrast or because I really liked dressing reverse!Shizuke as this edgy looking guy in a leather jacket post-quitting the Supreme. I think it can strengthen Shizuke's character and how much he keeps changing to adapt and to be what he feels he needs to be. I happen to like it when clothes can convey something about a character.
It also highlights his dynamic with Fiona. She is his first real friend since he moved to Helios. The one who chases out the bullies, his protector, the toughest person Shizuke knew. The one who didn't turn their back on him when he needed help.
Over the years though, what used to be reassuring became kind of a point of insecurity for Shizuke. He's the wuss hiding under her wing. He doesn't want to depend on her forever. He wants to get stronger. That's why he took up Judo. That's also why he tried to dress like a punk - dress like Fiona.
Fiona was the one who supported him in his efforts, went with him through every martial arts club til he found his niche, and even helped him pick out clothes to look more intimidating. He even knows how to do makeup and paint nails. It has her written all over it.
His main outfit and the one most people are familiar with, in and out universe. The thing that made him switch to nerd clothes is because one day, his parents could no longer afford to keep him in his school. It was one of those highly reputable ones full of scholarship kids and rich kids who bought their way in. As I've said, Shizuke isn't very book smart, so the only way in was for his parents to pay tuition. They only went for it thinking they weren't gonna stay for more than three years in Helios City, might as well get their kid into a good prestigious school that'll look great on his records even with his B-C average. Anyway stuff happened, his parents decided they're gonna have to go back home to Japan and Shizuke can continue his studies there.
Keagan wasn't having it so he pulled strings to get him into his mayor father's scholarship program - who was only willing to do so because despite his academic records not passing his requirements, Shizuke's his son's more responsible friend who at least messages him to reassure him they're safe and where they are whenever his son decides to sneak out, so Mr. Aurelio would rather Shizuke sticks around.
Shizuke is once again on the receiving end of help from his friends. Feeling like he might taint Keagan and his family's reputation for this special treatment, he changes one again. He has to at least look like he earned his way in so he replaced his punk goth clothes with something more "appropriate". The red tie and maroon pants he wears aren't just a reference to Ladybug, they were first a reference to Keagan and his family's signature color, red - which funny enough, loops back to Ladybug cause they're like, showing nationalist pride in their red hued island city made from a ginormous Lucky Charm.
This is made worse by the time Scorched Origins rolls in. He is Ladybug now. And Keagan was the first akuma who was and still is deeply affected by the event. All that red, it's no longer just about the Aurelio's scholarship, it's about his duty to Keagan and the rest of the city. He has to be at his best as he fills the large shoes Ladybug wore. He has to seem more put together, more mature, not a thread out of place and not a wrinkle to be seen. His outfit gets more uptight the worse he feels this.
The nerd outfit ties into Keagan the way his old punk clothes ties to Fiona.
There were whispers of envy that came with this though.
“Take off your rose-tinted glasses and see past that ‘nice guy’ façade, Blair! I’m telling you, that guy’s nothing but a social climber who uses everyone around him then dumps them once they’ve stopped being useful!”
“Just look at the people he surrounds himself with! He’s clearly using them for his own gain!”
“Keagan got him a recommendation into the scholarship program. Perks of being the friend of the mayor’s son, didn’t have to fight tooth and nail for a spot here like the rest of us,” Natalia growled, jealousy rolling off her in waves.
“Fiona, the little monster, has gotten into a lot of fights with a lot of other delinquents over the years and has never lost. With her by his side, no one would dare bully him.”
Here's some quotes from Natalia from the Bully Hunter episode as she summarizes Shizuke's rep from the side of the school that doesn't like him or are distant from him. She even nails the thing that bothers Shizuke the most about their friendship:
“But what do they get out of him? Nothing! He’s not even there for them when they need him the most!”
Shizuke's motivation across the main story goes all the way back to his friends helping him out and wanting to pay them back. It's why when asked at point blank on his debut on what motivates him, he searched around the crowd and looked at his friends whole saying he wants everyone to be safe. He wants them to be safe.
It's for them he goes through with being Ladybug even though he feels he is unworthy of it. It's only as Ladybug he's strong enough to be the one protecting them just as they had always protected him.
And just like his nerdy getup and his former punk phase, he wears the Ladybug suit for someone else.
When Will He Dress for Himself?
It'll be the day he can fully accept himself for himself.
The final style for him should still have little elements of both styles but is over all a lot less strict with sticking to a specific style. He's finally wearing the Ladybug earrings on his ears. The main piece is a varsity jacket, a symbol of his greatest achievement in his civilian life where he finally earns his own scholarship through the Judo club by getting into their competitive team.
The first step though is to truly understand he is good enough.
