Imagine if, as college students, we dressed for the jobs we wanted rather than the one we have now.
Future businessmen and women would have to work for their looks and strut their professional wear while future doctors and nurses could just throw on their comfy scrubs before class.
As of now, we live on a campus where college students slide by wearing sweatpants and over-sized T-shirts to class. Dressing for success has become a thing of the past on college campuses.
My first year at college, I started out going to class in an attempt to look my best every day. Day after day, I would plan my outfit according to what I had planned and what the weather would be like. However, as the semester went on and the stress of finals began to kick in, my wardrobe gradually dwindled.
Second semester was even worse. With a fresh start to classes, I began yet again with the goal of dressing nicely every day for classes. Again, this time — much faster than the previous semester — I found myself throwing on the first thing my eyes met when I woke up in the morning; usually sweats and a tee.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve never looked at people going to class and thought, “Wow, you look like a slob.” That was never my motivation for dressing nicely. My motivation was feeling like I was prepared and ready to tackle the day successfully.
However, as the semester goes on and the work piles on, taking that extra time to get ready in the morning and planning what you're going to way becomes a hassle — one that many would prefer not to deal with in the morning when you have plenty of other things you need to think about.
In my second year of college, what’s the answer to what I’m going to wear most days? Sweats.
Stressed today? Sweats.
Have a test today? Sweats.
Have a presentation today? Sweats.
They've basically become my answer for everything these days — but is that such a bad thing?
Sure, some days I would like to feel prepared and ready to tackle the day by dressing up. However, some days after studying for anatomy and writing yet another paper for English in the early morning hours, waking up for class on days like this I often just want to be comfortable and throw on my beloved sweatpants.
I myself feel there is something behind dressing for success and dressing for the job you want, not the job you have — but currently, we’re students. We’re stressed. We work hard. Dressing comfortably as a student to keep from driving yourself insane while you’re working for you degree so you can actually get a job is definitely okay. We can dress for success after we earn our degrees.
For now, I am not ashamed to wear my sweatpants, and you shouldn't be either.
