For many years, women have been judged and critiqued for what they wear. It is still an issue to this day. We just can't catch a break, no matter what we cover ourselves with. Our clothes are either too provocative or too concealing. It's almost a lose-lose situation, no matter how confident we may be in our clothes. Typically when someone doesn't like your clothes, it's never said directly to the person. Rather, it's said in a gossip circle or kept to one's self. Unless you're a celebrity, the Fashion Police aren't on our tails about our taste in clothing. This was until "Total Frat Move" published an article discussing how horrendous it is for girl's to wear one particular outfit -- an oversized shirt with "norts."
"Total Frat Move" is a website that it dedicated to posting articles that are related to doing such actions that a supposed "fraternity man" would do. It varies with its material; it can be comedic or in this circumstance, offensive. This website also has its own Twitter, Facebook and other forms of social media for its readers. I have seen their material before and it is entertaining. I know this is something that college students, especially those associated with Greek life, like to browse.
I stumbled upon the article, "Norts Under An Oversized T-Shirt Is The Ugliest Outfit A Girl Can Wear" one afternoon and decided to read it. It didn't take long for me to be offended by what this male writer had to say. He talks about the time he was out to lunch and saw a girl wearing a big shirt with norts (for those of you who don't know what norts are, they are Nike athletic shorts) and how turned off he was by this. He goes on to compare the ugliness of this attire to other things that anyone would find nauseating. He calls people who wear this "conformists" who are too afraid to show off their own style, along with more assumptions. I never give my view on such articles, but this one drew the line (in my humble opinion).
As previously mentioned, women are always judged on what they wear. This is just one of the many articles critiquing women's clothing, but it sticks out to me in a different way. This is probably because I am female and I like to wear big shirts as well. Not every second of every day when I get myself ready in the morning am I thinking to myself, "I hope my future husband sees what I'm wearing and proposes on the spot." No. I dress the way I want to because I want to look that way. If I want to wear jeans and a nice top to class -- so what? If I want to wear all grey -- so what? And if I want to wear athletic shorts with a big T-shirt -- so what? The way I look should not affect you whatsoever. It's my body, my personality and I know for a fact that I'm not going to change that because someone else doesn't like it. If you don't like what I clothe my body, deal with it or turn the other way.
It's sad that a girl can't catch a break. If she doesn't drink, she's a bore. If she does, she's a drunk. If she shows a little skin, she's a whore. If she doesn't, she's a conservative. If she's thin, she's anorexic. If she's overweight, she's obese. We are criticized for our every move it seems like. It's pathetic. We're all human here. Why don't guys get the kind of shame we do? It's always the girl, always. The way we dress shouldn't define us. We either dress to look cute or for comfort. Not to be perceived as a slut or as a pile of trash. We don't dress to always follow the trend. We dress in what feels right, especially during a busy school week. I'm not going to jump off a cliff because my friend does (as stated in my article), and I'm not going to dress a certain way because someone else does. That's not how it works!
If you are so disgusted by the way I dress or the way another woman dresses, that's your own problem. If our appearance makes you want to throw up, I suggest seeing a medical professional or a counselor. Ladies -- be confident in what you wear. Own it! Even if it is a big T-shirt and athletic shorts. Be true to yourself and wear your clothes with pride. If someone, such as a guy, is turned off by what you wear, that's not your fault. A real guy or person would look past clothes. Nothing is more attractive than confidence my friend. My clothes don't always define me. It's the person wearing the clothes that should stick out to you. I can't promise that the world won't stop judging you on your actions, or by your looks, but I can promise that with a lot of confidence in yourself that those negative comments will go right over your head. Don't let some article, some guy, some person dictate your life and define you. It's your life. Do what you want, what you want with your body. I can tell you that life is a hell of a lot better when you smile at this crazy world by living the life you were blessed with, rather than be worried about what others think about you.
"Never change who you are because someone else has a problem with it."
