At first, I did it as a joke.
For the whole day before I had class, I was just wearing black high-waisted leggings and a black bra and just relaxing in my dorm, watching American Dad with one of my close friends. We both had forgot we had class at 3 PM and once we realized it was 3:15; we rushed out the door. I decided just to slip on my black boots and a long, tan knitted cardigan. I clearly was too lazy to put on a shirt because I was too comfortable to just put on one.
On our way to class, we both notice in my choice and laughed. I was so overjoyed on doing something "rebellious" that I even took a picture in front of a mirror and posted it on Snapchat. I joked with my friend about "making a statement" and she responded with "yeah, a statement of being a ho." For the rest of the day, it had me thinking about her response.
Would I really be considered of being a ho just because I didn't wear a shirt?
That night, I decided to go outside my comfort zone and be spontaneous and go for a week without wearing a shirt. I don't know what made me choose to make this type of decision; it could be the fact of pure questioning if it was okay or on the fact that I didn't want to match a shirt with the rest of my outfit. Whatever reason I thought I had, I didn't really have one.
I guess I just wanted to see what people would say.
I've always been the confident type; I always believed that anyone could do almost anything if they just believed in themselves and had at least someone to support them. But, for me, not wearing a shirt was stepping outside of my boundaries. Throughout my middle school and high school years, I struggled with my weight. I hated looking at my stretch marks and my little extra pouch of fat. But, I was determined to not wear a shirt.
The first day when I was wearing no shirt and rushed out the door, I was called a "ho" by my friend; even though I don't know if she was joking or serious up until now. I received 3 compliments about how outfit was cute, one comment that I need to "get it together" as stated by a sophomore who lived on my floor and a class full of stares as I walked in (but it could be because me, my friend and another classmate came in late).
The second day I decided to go for sweatpants and flannel. This time, nobody noticed in my bio class of 50. Even when I walking through the 50 degree weather, no one seemed to care. Maybe the rest of the week would be as calm as it was today, I thought.
Nope, I was wrong.
The third day was the most interesting. I had only one class and once I got back to my dorm, I just wore shorts and my Forever 21 sports bra. When I kept going down to the laundry room to check up on my clothes, I'd hear comments from sophomores and juniors about how I'm "the girl who never wears a shirt" with a tone of repulse and disgust. I would receive judgement stares and I'd hear little comments about how I have no "respect for myself."
Needless to say, this went until the week was over. I would get the same comments, stares and judgement from students. I've had to go to the registrars office and the security guard's office and got a side glance from them as I walked in. Every time I walked by the lounge area, I'd see people stop and stare at as I passed by. But, this was the reactions I prepared myself for. I was prepared to be called all these names and get judged.
But, what I wasn't expecting was how many people didn't care and said it was "pretty cool" for me to do. There were people who supported me and didn't think I was crazy for not wearing a shirt. I was called daring, bold and spontaneous. To top it all off, my best friend said I still looked adorable.
By not wearing a shirt for a whole week, it taught me something. It taught me that I'm a woman and I can do whatever the hell I want to. No matter what, at the end of the day, there are going to be people who judge and criticize you because of your choices. I gained more confidence about my body. I felt more free-willed and carefree.
And, honestly, I think a woman being more confident with herself should be more important than a woman not wearing a shirt to class.
