With the fall semester coming up, I'm starting to see the "Look Cute For Class" and "Stop Being Lazy" posts all over my Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. I've tried to see it from that point of view and I've tried to understand it, but I just can't.
I agree with looking like you care about yourself, yes. I agree with dressing with confidence, yes. But I don't agree with telling students that they are potentially ruining their future if they don't run a mascara brush through their eyelashes in the morning.
Let's be honest, other students aren't even concerned about the way I'm dressed. Better yet, the professor has so many students that I doubt they'll see me and think to themselves, "Hmm, they look like crap today. They probably don't care about their education." Nobody is going to care if I'm wearing sweats or jeans. And if they do, then they are probably missing key points in the lecture or discussion.
I'm not going to sit through an hour and a half lecture uncomfortable. When I'm uncomfortable physically with what I'm wearing, it's all I can think about. How my shirt is too tight on my shoulders when I lean forward to write. How my jeans are squeezing my hips too tight in these tiny chairs. How my shoes are making my toes cramp. It is possible to dress comfortably while looking like a million bucks, but I think everybody can agree that a pair of sweats are more comfortable to sit in than a pair of jeans.
I'm still going to speak up in class. What I'm wearing has nothing to do with that. I don't see how the two correlate in any way. I believe I can be just a focused as the girl that got up an hour earlier to curl her hair and do a 70 step makeup routine.
I can agree that we as people should try to put a little bit of effort into our appearances. It will make us feel good and ready for the day. But who's to say I'm not putting a little effort into my messy bun? Who's to say I'm not putting effort into what pair of sweats I should wear today? Or what t-shirt I should pair with my leggings?
My goal is to go to class prepared for the lecture or discussion and to be as comfortable in the environment as I can possibly be. I want to be as focused as I can be in class because I pay a lot of money to be there.
If you want to dress your best every single day, be my guest, that's you. But stop telling others what they can and can't wear to class. Stop telling others that they are being lazy. You don't know what's going on in their life and what you're saying may have a negative effect on them. And until you pay my tuition, tighten your pristine ponytail, and keep your mouth shut.
