As a graduating senior here at BU, I’ve recently started shopping for “big girl” clothes, as many of us—afraid to actually admit that we’re growing up—like to call them. While trying to make room in my closest for these new, professional additions, I couldn’t help but find humor in the difference between the clothing I was buying for my future and the pieces that I own now. My current wardrobe consists of crop tops, sheer blouses that are essentially transparent, open back body suits, high-waisted shorts sized for preteens, lace, leather, and pumps tall enough to give Shaquille O’Neal a run for his money.
As I gazed at the over-the-top, scandalous contents of my closet, I was dumbfounded at what my wardrobe had evolved into over the past four years. Sure, they’re beautiful clothes… but for what? This is Bloomsburg after all, not Atlantic City or Manhattan, and certainly not Vegas. So why do my clothes resemble attire that would be acceptable to sport at such trendy scenes?
This got me thinking. Why do we get so ridiculously dressed up on the weekends at BU?
If you consider the terrain, weather and level of intoxication here in Bloom, you come up pretty empty handed. The town of Bloomsburg is widely known for its hills and uneven landscape. So, riddle me this: if we’re climbing the Appalachian Mountain trail on a nightly basis, why are we doing it in six-inch stilettos? Let’s now reflect on the arctic temperatures that we experience every year from November to February. Why, then, do we choose to weather the storm in strapless tops and mini skirts?
As if these two elements of nature don’t pose enough of a threat to womankind weekenders, try adding a blood alcohol level that is higher than many people’s freshman year fall semester GPA. The chance that any of our high-end, classy pieces are going to last more than a year or so in such conditions is about as good as that of us attending our Friday classes.
With all the odds against us, why do we put ourselves through this torture? Who is it all for, anyway?
The answer is each other. Contrary to popular belief, it has a lot less to do with impressing men, and a whole lot more to do with outshining our female fashion rivals. It’s in the nature of women to initiate competition amongst one another. Let’s face it, it’s pretty much in our DNA. We always want to be up on the latest trends and boast our fashion literacy. What better way than to rock a jaw-dropping outfit that’s way better than all of our girls’? It’s a friendly, unspoken competition, but an arms race nonetheless. And in a town where the girl-to-guy ratio is considerably elevated, it’s no wonder everyone’s upping the ante.
Some may never understand why we obsess over finding the perfect balance of posh, edgy, and risqué pieces to wear to a house party on Iron St. or the Hardware Bar. But to the ladies of Bloomsburg, the idea warrants no explanation.
Who wrote the handbook and why the bar was set so high are facts that we may never know. Nevertheless, the devil-ista behind this madness has set high fashion standards at BU that many females dare not fall short of – no matter how uncoordinated, cold, or drunk we are.