This week, when going through my typical writer’s block routine, I was able to find inspiration after reading the first (and most popular) article on the website. It is titled "Ladies, Nike Shorts And Leggings Are For The Gym, Nowhere Else" by Rachel Kiser, which you can check out here. It is a well-written article in which the author gives her opinion for why females should have a “more put together look” and should avoid gym clothes when out and about anywhere besides the gym. While I agree with certain aspects of the article, such as gym clothes should not be worn to most philanthropy events or work, I think her critic of females wearing comfortable clothes is way too harsh.

The author describes herself as a high maintenance female who feels her best when she is dressed for success. I can identify with this quite a bit seeing that my closet is overflowing with cute clothes, and I spend a little too much time deciding which face mask to use each night. Personally, I try not to wear Nike shorts and an oversized t-shirt to class every day because I feel like when I put on slightly less casual clothes and some minimal natural make up, I am getting ready for the day, thus allowing me to feel more productive and not just like I am waiting to take my next nap (even though I’m pretty much always planning when I can nap regardless).

However, all the females who decide to throw on a t-shirt and some leggings then head out the door are just dressing in what makes them feel good. Not everyone wants to wake up 30 minutes to an hour earlier so that they can dress nice and spend time on their makeup. Sometimes these females wearing “gym” clothes are just being extra productive and have it planned out that after class they are going straight to the gym before they go home and don’t want to bring spare clothes. Sometimes “gym” clothes are worn by females because they have a long day full of classes that are located all around campus and they don’t want to be running from one end of campus to the other in a pair of tight jeans or a dress. But most importantly, sometimes females wear gym clothes because that is what they feel comfortable and confident in.

School is difficult and jeans can be uncomfortable, so why shouldn’t I be wearing leggings? There is most definitely a time and a place in which Nike shorts or leggings are not appropriate, but class is not one of those places. No one sees you walking around campus and judges you for wearing nicer clothes or thinks “that girl puts way too much time into her appearance and clearly cares too much about what people think."

“If you are becoming a grown woman, dress like one” is a valid point brought up by the author, but the thing is, I and many other female college students are just that, becoming a grown woman. We are not grown women yet, who have nine-to-five jobs, who are trying to work our way up the latter and shatter glass ceilings; we are college students who have class all day and are studying until 3 a.m. And I can tell you one thing that almost anyone would agree with, when you have been studying for five hours, the last thing you want to be doing is adjusting you jeans every five minutes so you can sit comfortably and focus.

After I graduate college, and I get that job I worked so incredibly hard for, you can bet you’ll catch me in a polyester (and probably very uncomfortable) suit.

But until then, please just let me wear my Nike shorts to class judgment free.