When did it become weird to dress well? I love a relaxed or athleisure-wear day as much as the next girl, but most of the time I like to wear something a bit more fanciful. The better I look, the more confident I feel in my own skin. That is until I walk outside…
I know I am not the only one who has gotten side-eyes, weird looks, or back-handed compliments for not wearing sweatpants to class every day. I have no judgment for people who wear whatever makes them comfortable. So why is that same energy not given to people who prefer to dress up a little bit?
It’s not like I’m wearing a Skims body-con dress to class. A nice top, jeans or a skirt, boots, and a cute jacket is fairly casual in my opinion. But I have found myself wanting to trade in my skirts for leggings and a hoodie to avoid feeling out of place. Maybe I am just overthinking, and I probably am to a degree, but I always thought once I got to college, I would feel more comfortable dressing how I wanted to.
Here I am, two years later, still self-conscious about dressing according to my personal style. You may be thinking, ‘It’s not that deep.’ But in my opinion, fashion is one of the first steps to full self-expression. If you dress how you want, you do what you want, and you don’t care what other people have to say about it.
So, while I may want to conform to trends to lessen my social anxiety, it is not worth the shame I feel for making myself smaller in the hopes of pleasing others. To feel like my best self, I must show up as my best self, even when it feels scary. By dressing like my true self, I will be one step closer to being my true self.
To achieve my goal, I have to reframe how I think about the situation. Sure, there will always be some people who will judge me for whatever reasons they may have. But it may also be true that by showing up as my authentic self, I am inspiring others to have the confidence to do the same. Not every stare is a look of rejection, some may be of approval or even admiration.
I admire others for being unapologetically themselves all the time. I hope one day I can be one of those people that I admire too.