Marginalia
Seen & Heard
Rafael Menis, ’11, a.k.a. “Tie-Dye Guy,” explains his unusual sartorial choice.
Rafael Menis, a.k.a. “Tie-Dye Guy,” Class of 2011
Major: Political science
Minor: Philosophy
Hometown: Aptos, CA
When did you start wearing tie-dye?
Back in eighth grade, in 2002. My mom made me a T-shirt and I liked it. Gradually all my clothing shifted over to being tie-dye. By the end of twelfth grade, perhaps.
What does it mean, to wear tie-dye every day?
I wear tie-dye in honor of the 1960s and several of the movements that occurred then: the women’s rights movement, the civil rights movement, the antiwar movement in particular. I wear it to show my right to freedom of expression under the U.S. Constitution and the U.N. Declaration of Human Rights. And I wear it because I like it. It looks nicer than regular clothing that’s available to me.
Maybe you stick out more in Chicago?
I don’t get this sort of attention in California.
How about formal occasions?
I plan to make myself a suit over the winter break. A jacket, pants. I already have the tie.
An interview suit?
Yes.
Do you have a preferred nickname—Tie-Dye Guy, Tie-Dye Kid? I’ve heard it various ways.
People call me Rafe or Rafi, or Rafa. I’m not sure I consider Tie-Dye Guy to be my name, so much as an identity that I’ve been given by the University community.
— Carrie Golus, AB’91, AM’93
Photo by Dan Dry
