During my first two years of college, I have learned a lot of important lessons: don’t enroll in classes that start before 10 a.m., coffee is the most reliable best friend you’ll ever have, and peanut butter serves as the best source of protein. Still, the most important thing I have learned in my time at the University of Michigan is that there is a major stigma surrounding Groutfits—outfits that consist of only grey clothing—and I think it is time for that to change.
Despite the growing presence of Groutfits on campus, it still remains impossible to wear one without hearing a sarcastic “nice Groutfit” or “Groutfit on point.” Groutfits have been deemed forever socially unacceptable and I don’t understand the reasoning behind it. Just the other day on my walk to class, I noticed a girl wearing dark grey leggings, a light grey t-shirt, and a medium-grey zip-up hoodie. It was an admirable Groutfit, really, perfectly executed from head to toe. Personally, I thought she looked stylish, effortless, and well-coordinated. The rest of campus most likely thought she was committing an offensive, distasteful fashion felony. These harsh sentiments towards Groutfits are unwarranted and need to change.
This brings me to the black on black on black outfit: black top, black pants, and black shoes. This outfit has been deemed socially acceptable, and even a social norm, despite its extreme similarities to the Groutfit. You can find versions of this all black outfit being worn by girls every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at every local bar in Ann Arbor. Of course, there are no sarcastic comments thrown a person’s way if they’re caught wearing all black, because for some reason unknown to me, black outfits have been deemed the only acceptable monochromatic outfit.
I am not proposing that all monochromatic outfits should be embraced in the same way that the black on black on black outfit is. An all orange outfit should probably never leave the privacy of one’s bedroom without receiving immediate backlash. All I ask for is that society opens its mind and arms to the idea of accepting Groutfits as the fashion forward and sleek outfits that I see them as. For once, I would like to wear a grey sweatshirt, grey joggers, and grey Timberlands without being ridiculed. Though maybe not today and maybe not tomorrow (and probably not next year), I look forward to the day where I can confidently wear a Groutfit in public. Until then, I’ll continue campaigning for the underdog, because I firmly believe Groutfits deserve the same respect as any other outfit.
Image courtesy of http://fiftyshadesofgroutfits.tumblr.com.