Monday morning sunshine floods through your window and gently wakes you up. You stretch contently and roll over in bed to check your phone. Crap. It’s 8:50 and you have a 9 a.m. today. You quite literally fall out of bed and tear through your wardrobe looking for something cute to wear, but suddenly everything seems to clash. Girl, you know you have a stack of weekend sweats stashed in your drawer just waiting for you to throw on.
Easy, breezy.
It’s tempting, but you start thinking of what other classmates will think of you when they’re wearing outfits that look like they’re straight out of J. Crew’s newest collection. The thought of being judged and having your self-confidence ripped to shreds is too much, so you take the L and show up a half-hour late to class wearing clothes you eventually find suitable for the public.
Ladies, this is a reminder that you absolutely do not have to feel so stressed over your outfits. If you’re late or you just feel like having a comfy day, just go for it. No one is going to care that you’re wearing sweats with the name of your high school written down the leg or a sweatshirt that’s older than most middle schoolers. Your self-confidence doesn’t need to rely on what you wear. It’s how you wear it that matters. If you show the world that you’re comfortable and confident in whatever you’re wearing, then that’s exactly how people are going to see you.
If wearing super cute outfits every day makes you feel beautiful and ready to tackle the day, then by all means go for it! For me, I love getting dressed up for about half of the week, but by Friday, I’m rolling into class in leggings and a hoodie with my hair in the messiest bun you’ve ever seen. And that’s totally okay.
Let’s be real: we’ve pretty much been told from the beginning of time that our clothes = who we are. It’s obviously not true! Wearing sweatpants and muddy sneakers doesn’t mean that you’re a slob who sits around eating Ramen noodles all day (and if you are, all the power to ya!). What it signifies is that you didn’t feel like squeezing into jeans because you have to be holed up in Du Bois all day studying, and you just prefer being comfortable. On the flip side, wearing a dress and heeled booties to class doesn’t have any intrinsic meaning, either. It just means that you put together an outfit that makes you look hella cute. That’s awesome!
If you feel like you’re receiving weird looks for how you decided to dress that day, ignore them. I know it’s easier said than done, but life is so much easier when you just stop caring about what other people think of you. Odds are, anybody who judges you for your outfit choice is probably pretty insecure about themselves. When your self-confidence starts to depend on the validation of others, it may be time to reevaluate your self-worth and give yourself some TLC. It’s 100 percent OK to love your closet and show everyone your impeccable fashion sense, but don’t forget that it’s you who makes those outfits so beautiful.
So the next time you’re struggling over what to wear, just remember that old cliché: confidence is the best accessory to any outfit. ✦