Ah, Syracuse weather. To sum it up, we have a love-hate relationship. There’s really no in
between. It’s either blindingly sunny and beautiful beyond belief, or rainy (thankfully we haven’t got to
the dreadful snowy stage yet), humid and miserable. Unfortunately, the miserable stages always seem to
last longer than the good weather. Meaning all my “good” clothes stay hung up in my closet, desperate
for attention.
Some mornings I wake up and just stare out the window in horror. The adorable outfit I had
planned cannot withstand the rain. Rain boots are too clunky for a skirt. Pants it is. Can’t find my rain
jacket? A hat and baggy sweatshirt it is. Seriously, Syracuse, you’re killing my sense of fashion.
I must confess, there are days of the week when I look forward to always passing that one
extremely good looking guy on the way to class. Rather shamelessly, I tend to plan my outfits a bit
around these meetings and put extra effort in on those days. Thanks to the weather, though, quite often
those ideas are scrapped and I get stuck finding the cutest weather-appropriate outfit possible.
Unfortunately for me, a lot of my better clothes don’t really do well with the rain and just get
wrinkled under my coat or feel awkward when shoved under said coat. But the weather doesn’t only bring
me down a notch in the fashion world. No, it does something worse, something more obvious.
I have naturally curly hair. I straighten it most days, but if it’s humid and raining, my hair is
replaced by a poofing ball of frizz. I put my hair up…still frizz city, and my bangs begin to curl and
look gross against my forehead. I put my hair up and pull my bangs back…my forehead looks big, my
awkward hairline stands out and the frizz proceeds to create a halo around my face. I wear a hat…my face
remains hidden for the day, teachers think I’m sleeping as my head is tilted down to take notes, and, in
my opinion, it adds a lazy factor to whatever clothes I have on.
So, basically, rain and humidity ruin my life. Either my outfit looks bad, my hair looks bad, or
worst of all, the total package looks bad. You know how models can pull off that whole sexy wet t-shirt
look with their hair stuck to their heads and their water proof makeup creating a sense of intensity? I look
like a drowned rat with two black eyes–even with water proof makeup (don’t ask me how, the fates are
against me I guess).
There’s not much I can do, except carry around a little mirror with me and check myself out a few
times, trying to hold back my abject horror. A trip to the bathroom to fix my make-up or water down the
frizz momentarily can help a little. But, the only thing I can truly do, is hold my head up and own it. Do I
look bad? Sure, but no need to look even worse by scowling or sinking low into my seat like a baby.
We all have good and bad days–in our own opinions–looks wise, whether it’s just unruly hair or
a rumpled outfit because you ran out of clean clothes. As girls, we can all be quite judgemental, as can the
guys. But you can’t sweat the small stuff. It’s one day of your life, and you can make up for it tomorrow,
weather permitting. A nice smile or giggle is a nice compliment to any outfit, and looking truly happy
will put the attention away from the frizzy hair or stained shirt every time (unless you’re dealing with
a truly mean person who has a holier than thou attitude, in which case they’re not worthy of your time
anyway).
So, Syracuse, hit me with your worst weather and I’ll suck it up. After the rain comes a rainbow,
and that’s enough to look forward to and pull me through.