Picture this: It’s 11 a.m., and you wake up to the sun’s rays shining through your blinds. The brightness radiating from your phone screen makes your eyes squint, but you are undoubtedly now awake. You realize you still have one hour before you need to log into Zoom for class. There are a lot of decisions to make in those 60 minutes. What kind of breakfast should you eat? Did I have any assignments due for this class? What’s the weather like outside?
For me, the most important decision before starting my day is, “Should I dress up for class?”
Before in-person classes made the switch to remote, I used to take my time getting ready for class and strived to always look presentable. Now that most classes are accessible at home in the comfort of students’ bedrooms, it lowers the pressure of dressing up for class. I started noticing that I put aside an abundance of time just to get ready for class and saw it as a waste of time (I cherish sleep a lot more now).
Attending class from your bed can make it extremely tempting to roll over, open your laptop, and join the Zoom link. It can switch your mentality from being attentive to settling for, “showing up is enough.” Regardless of having online or remote classes, there should be no shame in wearing pajamas or sweatpants to class. Zoom dress codes and restrictions seem a bit over the top considering most students are teleworking from their rooms.
The plus side for those that make time to clean themselves up before class is the endless trends, and fun looks to try each time you meet! To make Zoom classes more bearable, my old mass communications professor would assign themes for each week to get everyone involved! It made it much more exciting to attend an online class. This is a great time to attempt new trends, or makeup looks you’ve been dying to try.
If you wake up one day and find the motivation to get ready for classes, there are a couple of tips and tricks to give the illusion that makes you look more professional.
Choose your background wisely. This can make a big difference. Light/white backgrounds should be contrasted with a dark or patterned top. Dark/patterned backgrounds would look best when styled with a bright-colored top.
Wearing statement jewelry like necklaces or earrings could also tie in any simple outfit to look more put-together. What you choose to wear can determine how attentive you are during class. Wearing pajamas in the Zoom class makes it much easier to be unfocused and too comfortable. Personally, I see dressing up for your online class as a way to set you up and focus better during instruction. I tend to get distracted when I am in extra comfortable clothes paired with being under my comforter.
Overall, I understand both sides of the spectrum. Staying in bed with your oversized t-shirt and glasses on for class seems more realistic for college students waking up to be in an online class. With that being said, that doesn’t mean that dressing up for class is “wrong,” or “too extra.” There is no such thing as “too extra” anyway.