Kindergarten Teacher Is Gaining Attention for Her Head-Turning Work Attire (Exclusive)
Kindergarten Teacher Is Gaining Attention for Her Head-Turning Work Attire (Exclusive)
Jordan GreeneMon, August 31, 2026 at 6:29 PM UTC
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Jasmyn Blackburn in her classroom.Credit: Courtesy of Jasmyn Blackburn (2) -
Jasmyn Blackburn, a first-year kindergarten teacher, uses colorful, sparkly outfits to bring joy and excitement to her classroom
Her wardrobe, inspired by “dopamine dressing,” includes school-themed pieces and even has its own pink dressing room
Blackburn’s outfits have gained her a large online following and inspired others to embrace fun, happy fashion choices
At 23, Jasmyn “Jazzy” Blackburn is living out her dream of teaching kindergarten, and doing it in plenty of sequins, color and sparkle.
The first-year teacher from a small town in Indiana has built a wardrobe filled with playful pieces that reflect both her love of fashion and her enthusiasm for teaching. For Blackburn, her personal style comes down to one simple idea: wearing clothes that make her happy.
“I once heard the term ‘dopamine dressing,’ and it immediately stuck with me,” Blackburn tells PEOPLE exclusively. “If I see something that’s colorful, sparkly, fun and makes me smile, I’ll wear it!”
Her love of colorful clothing dates back to childhood. In first grade, Blackburn earned the nickname “Snazzy Jazzy” because of her penchant for fun clothes. But there was a period when she stopped dressing that way, wanting to fit in with a more trendy, “normal” teenage style.
“Now that I’ve found my career in teaching, I feel like I’ve found the perfect profession that allows me to dress for my inner child again,” she says.
That philosophy was on full display when Blackburn began planning her first week of school from the moment she was offered her teaching job.
Since it was both her students’ first week of school and Blackburn’s first week ever as a teacher, she pulled out some of her favorite pieces: a sequin apple dress, a sparkly teacher-patch outfit and a colorful “Welcome to Kindergarten” T-shirt.
Jasmyn Blackburn in her classroom.Credit: Courtesy of Jasmyn Blackburn
“I love pieces that incorporate school themes because there aren’t many professions where you can show up to work covered in sequins, apples, crayons and ABCs, but in kindergarten, it just works!” she says.
School-themed pieces make up about 90% of Blackburn’s wardrobe, with the remaining 10% consisting mostly of comfortable clothing. Her collection has even grown large enough to require a room of its own.
“We actually have an entire room in our house that’s painted pink and serves as my closet and dressing room, so my wardrobe has definitely taken on a life of its own!” she says.
Blackburn shops at a mix of retailers and resale platforms, including Queen of Sparkles, Sparkle in Pink, ReallyRexBoutique and Depop. One of her favorites is Queen of Sparkles, particularly its “Queen of the Classroom” collection.
“Their pieces are definitely an investment, but the quality is amazing, and with how much I wear them, they end up being worth it for me,” she says.
Her most expensive teacher outfit is a polka-dot Queen of Sparkles set with sequin patches. The top retails for $184 and the skirt for $208.
But her first-day-of-school outfit cost considerably less: The sequin apple dress was $39 from Sparkle in Pink.
“I think that’s a perfect example of how you absolutely don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars to find a fun, memorable piece that makes you feel amazing,” she says.
Blackburn also looks beyond traditional teacher clothing, often buying pieces simply because they catch her eye.
“I just see something fun and figure out how to make it work!” she says.
When she was first building her wardrobe, Blackburn says she shopped much more frequently — probably every week. Because she doesn’t have children, she says much of the extra money she had after paying her bills went toward clothing.
“Was saving it probably the more financially responsible choice? Yes!” she says. “But fashion is something that genuinely makes me happy, and now I have a wardrobe I can continue wearing and styling for years.”
Jasmyn Blackburn in her classroom.Credit: Courtesy of Jasmyn Blackburn
Now that her collection is much larger, she tries to limit her purchases to pieces that really stand out. She estimates that about once a month, she finds something she decides she “simply need[s]” for her teacher wardrobe.
But while Blackburn’s outfits have attracted hundreds of thousands of followers online, her kindergarteners tend to have a much more understated reaction.
“Honestly, most of the time my students don’t say anything, which I think is so funny!” she says. “Since I’ve dressed like this from day one, I think they just assume this is what their teacher looks like every day.”
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One outfit did get their attention: a pair of gemstone-covered jeans.
“They were fascinated!” Blackburn says. “They all wanted to feel the gems and kept asking me if they were real diamonds.”
Her students also began complimenting her outfits during a lesson about being a “bucket filler,” when the class talked about kindness and giving compliments to others.
“Suddenly I got lots of ‘I like your outfit!’ compliments that day!” she recalls.
And Blackburn has found ways to make her wardrobe part of the learning experience, too. She has themed teacher T-shirts and earrings for read-alouds, including Curious George, The Rainbow Fish and A Bad Case of Stripes. On days when she reads one of the books, she wears the corresponding shirt and character earrings and points them out before reading.
“They get so excited when they realize Miss Jazzy is dressed like the book we’re about to read!” she says. “It’s such a simple thing, but it makes the story feel even more exciting and engaging for them, and I think it helps make those books and lessons more memorable.”
That same approach to finding joy in the everyday has resonated beyond Blackburn’s classroom. When she started posting her teaching outfits in January, she set a modest goal for herself.
“My original goal was to reach 10,000 followers by the end of the year!” she says. Blackburn’s TikTok account currently sits at over 580,000 followers. “The fact that it happened so quickly is still something I genuinely can’t process.”
“The funny thing is, I would still post my outfit videos if only 10 people were watching,” she adds. “It started as a fun way for me to share something I loved and hopefully inspire other people to wear clothes that make them happy.”
She was initially nervous that reaching so many people online would bring negativity, but says the overwhelming majority of the comments and messages have been positive. Some people tell her that her videos brought them joy or inspired them to start wearing fun clothes again, while others have said she inspired them to pursue teaching.
“Those messages are what make sharing so special to me,” she says.
“I want my students to see me as a happy, loving and safe person in their lives, and I think the combination of the colorful outfits and the positive energy I bring into the classroom helps with that,” she adds.
By the second day of school, Blackburn said her students were already telling her that they loved her and loved school.
“Hearing that as a first-year kindergarten teacher meant everything to me,” she says.
Still, Blackburn is clear that clothes aren’t what determine whether someone is a good educator.
“But I love that fashion can be another tool I use to bring excitement into our classroom, connect with my students and make learning feel special,” she says.
For anyone hoping to bring more personality into their own work wardrobe, Blackburn recommends starting with what they already own and experimenting with color.
“You also don’t need 50 statement pieces to start dressing more fun,” she says. “Find a few special pieces that genuinely spark joy for you and build outfits around them.”
“‘Fun’ fashion is whatever makes you happy,” she continues. “The whole point is finding pieces that make you excited to get dressed in the morning.”
Jasmyn Blackburn in her classroom.Credit: Courtesy of Jasmyn Blackburn
That philosophy is ultimately what Blackburn hopes comes through in everything she shares.
“I love sharing the colorful outfits, but I think what I’m really sharing is joy,” she says. “If someone can find a little bit of happiness in seeing how happy I am about my outfit, my classroom or my students, then that means so much more to me than any number of views or followers ever could.”
“I want to make the world a little more colorful and a little more smiley, one short video at a time,” she adds.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
