On this day, I declare a revolution for all college and high school girls with Instagram accounts. On your day of birth, ye shall not dress up in cute or fancy clothes HENCE FORTH.
Okay, so maybe I'm being sort of dramatic, but hear me out.
I think it's sort of a universal truth that the majority of girls ages 12-20 and beyond dress up for their birthdays. How do you think I remember people's birthdays? I wait for the Instagram post of them in an off-the-shoulder romper or skin-tight dress that's caption is along the lines of "Cheers to the teenage years."
Each girl goes in with the goal of wearing an Instagram-able outfit that you can caption with something witty about the age you are turning. It's cute and perfectly planned, and probably relatively new. Then, you're tasked with finding a cool and trendy restaurant that will be a good backdrop for your post.
Maybe that's just me, but I know I have searched "cute restaurants" on Yelp more times than I'd like to admit.
So when the day comes, you spend a few hours on your hair and makeup, making it as matte and oil-resistant as possible. Then you throw on the calculated outfit and probably some uncomfortable heels and spend your birthday meal trying not to spill anything because you don't want any sort of stain.
Again, maybe this is just me. Maybe you simply enjoy getting dressed up on your special day and enjoy going to a hip restaurant with cute lanterns outside. I am NOT trying to shame anyone who actually enjoys any part of all this, you do you boo. What I'm trying to say is that maybe we spend a little too much time worrying about an Instagram post rather than your friends and family and surviving another year on this earth.
I say all of this because this year, I realized how much time all the dressing up takes. I'm not the greatest makeup artist and use a handful of q-tips to perfect my eyeliner every day, so I figured that the whole process takes about two hours, maybe including a shower or maybe not. Two hours.
Again, I might just suck at hair and makeup, but then again, those are two precious hours out of a special day. This day only comes once a year (duh), and worrying about your appearance and brainstorming cute outfits and captions, and taking the damn picture finally could end up taking three hours out of your own birthday. Once again, I don't know about you, but I don't want to spend my birthday getting dressed up for an Instagram post.
So this year, I said to hell with it and wore my uniform to dinner: a large t-shirt, Nike shorts, a sports bra, and Chacos. And guess what? I ended up spending way more time with my family and my boyfriend than I have on previous birthdays.
I had more time to talk and spend time and truly celebrate my birthday with my loved ones. I was more comfortable and didn't constantly check myself in the mirror all day. I felt like my authentic self, and that's what a birthday is about: celebrating your authentic self!
Of course, I still took some pics with my boyfriend, dog, and family, but it took significantly less time and effort, and I'll admit it, I think I look pretty good in those pictures!
Now of course, had I decided to eat at some swanky restaurant, I would have thrown on a dress, but I was perfectly content going to my favorite Italian place. I even told my family, "Please don't dress up! I'm just wearing a t-shirt and shorts!". And ya know what? We got out the door earlier and had more time to be out and about and have fun.
Alright, I'm done dissecting an outfit and a social media post so listen up: do what you want on your birthday. Eat at a nice steakhouse downtown, eat at Chili's, hell, eat at Taco Bell! Wear a fancy sundress, wear shorts and a crop top, wear Nikes and a tee. Wear that new dress that makes you feel amazing.
YES, QUEEN. Just be you. Don't set up this expectation for how your birthday is "supposed to look." Your birthday doesn't have to be this picture-perfect day that culminates in one Instagram post. This is YOUR day. I mean duh, it's a day dedicated to celebrating that fact that you're alive! So do whatever your heart desires. But maybe, just maybe, consider putting the phone down and actually celebrate instead.
