Let me tell you, the sophomore slump is a real thing. The excitement of freshman year has passed, and learning to live with friends who no longer reside down the hall from you in the dorms is actually really hard. This year has been one that has, up to this point, included disregarding my past freshman habits. Mainly, taking little time and energy in caring about how I dress for class. Workout clothes and sweatshirts are about as fancy as I get, and don’t think for a second I actually bother putting on an ounce of makeup – I stay up way too late watching Grey’s for that. However, now that we’re at the halfway point in the semester, I’ve decided it’s time to make some changes-reach out to friends from last year, and equally important, actually care about how I present myself in class. For an entire week of class, I planned my outfits out at night and got up early to straighten my hair, and put on makeup. With an 8 am class Tuesdays and Thursdays, I really was not looking forward to my little social experiment-however, I have to say, the impacts this change had on my week were pretty significant.
For starters, the whole “look good, feel good” mentality is a real thing, and looking like a presentable human made me feel like I actually have my life together (don’t worry, I don’t actually have any of my sh*t together, but we can pretend okay!?). If people seem to think that your life is more together than it actually is, they tend to treat you like you know what you’re talking about. It was a fake-it-’til-you-make-it moment, but in this week, I almost believed I had my life in order ,which was a nice change.
While I still didn’t put in a quarter of an effort that goes into looking like a Kardashian, the extra effort made me feel empowered to accomplish anything that I had set to do for the day. I felt more proactive with my schoolwork, and was actually making plans that were more than a day in advance! I guess looking put-together did force me to organize my life a little bit more.
Another great thing about looking presentable is that running into people I hadn’t seen since last semester was a lot less uncomfortable. When you see someone that you haven’t in a while, it’s a valid concern to want to put your best foot forward in reconnecting, which can include looking and feeling your best. After chatting with friends from my floor last year in a more clean-cut state, I felt like I left a more positive impression, and felt more confident about how my year is going.
Taking the time to put effort into my appearance felt as though I was returning to my roots. Growing up in a suburb of Chicago, friends from high school can attest that sweatpants were never in my wardrobe’s repertoire, and I embodied a style that was evidently city-inspired. While dressing nicely for class may be perceived as self-consumed, my social experiment was not one done out of a superficial drive; I have always been someone who believes that presenting oneself in a manner that makes them proud will make for a happier, more productive person. After reconnecting with my freshman year habits, I can say that while it does take a greater effort to look more put-together, the reward of feeling like I am more in control of my life is unmatched. So I may not continue putting as much effort in as I did this past week on my 8 a.m. class days, but I will do my best to take advantage of those later start mornings to craft a look that I’m proud of.