What Not To Wear

The college I attended had a strict Honor Code which required that we dress professionally to class, which I did the entire time I was in college. This included no flip flops, no shorts, and a clean appearance. My first semester of college I did my hair every day, wore make up, made sure my clothes matched, and never went out into public in my sweats. My second semester I was the complete opposite. I slept in until the last minute, leaving little time for more than a brush of the hair and a little make up. I would get home from classes and automatically change into my baggy sweats. I started going to neighbors apartments like this, and then, like a disease, it started to spread even more. I started going to guys apartments, and by then it just made sense to shop in my slobbish style. Yes. I could be seen in the aisles of Walmart wearing my grungy sweats, glasses, hardly any make up, with my hair pulled in all directions, and my feet wearing my now infamous pink slippers. By my third semester of college I was completely gone. Good bye professional wear, hello comfortable.

And the thing is, most girls went this path. They started out nice, and then it just was easier to dress down. Why always look professional? What is the point? Of course, there were those few exceptions- the girls who felt they could never under any circumstances whatsoever leave the apartment partially incomplete- with their designer clothes, their pounds of make up, and their perfect smiles. They were the unlucky ones. They did not see how much fun they can have when they are willing to just let loose and not always be the perfect one.

Now, why am I bringing this up? Well, the other day I was watching "What Not To Wear," that TV show with Stacey and Clinton that takes normal people who appear to dress "bad," give them a complete make-over, and transform them into the perfect fashionable person. The show always throws away the clothes that the unfashionable person owns and buys a complete new wardrobe for them. I am pretty much addicted to this show because I love mocking the new wardrobe, hair color, or even the reactions that Stacey and Clinton give while the poor victim is shopping. One of the outfits for "casual" wear was a complete joke on the episode I was watching. The women looked like she was going out to tea with her friends, not for a stroll in the park.

What does that say about our society? We do not like it when people show themselves. We want them to look professional, down to the accessories and high heeled shoes. I have nothing against high heels- I personally own some and love them. However, high heels are killer on my back. Every girl complains about wearing them, no matter what you put on the inside, or how many times you've worn them. They HURT! Maybe this is me being jealous of girls who can afford to look professional, but personally, I think guys like it better when we do not always look perfect- at least that's what all the gorgeous guys I met in college told me. I think that the pretty perfect girls got their hearts broken a lot more often than I did. I had fun in college! I had fun because I was able to relax and not care that I was wearing plaid sweats with a stripped top, a pony tail, and my super cute pink slippers, while my nails were half painted, and my make up looked... well, like a 2 year old had put it on me. I'm not saying don't dress up, I'm just saying be comfortable. Yes Stacey and Clinton, I said it. I am comfortable.