As the weather begins to change and our days become a little longer and a little warmer, I’d like to reach out to all the young women and ask them to keep those jeans on. Now I realize that many of you reading this aren’t wearing jeans; you maybe wearing leggings or maybe even, Nike shorts. To those ladies reading who are not actually wearing pants: Now is the time to put some on.
Let me explain. It has been several years since I was last on a college campus and during that time there were students who would come to class in various levels of dress. Most of the students came dressed in jeans or other forms of casual garb. Then there were the go-getters, the students that had jobs to get to afterward. On a rare occasion there was a student in pajama bottoms, which were frayed and gray at the bottom. The disheveled pajama bottom student wasn’t the norm, it was a rare flower – albeit a wilted, sort of unwashed one.
So it is much to my surprise that the rare flower that was the pajama bottom student has morphed into something more socially acceptable at The University of Alabama: the baggy T-shirt stacked on top of Nike shorts or leggings student. Somehow dressing like you just got out of bed is a socially accepted norm and for this, I am begging all of the young women out there to sit with me while I share a few reasons to keep those winter inspired pants on.
I am sure by now you think I’m crazy. Let me assure you that I am not crazy. I am a young woman and I just happen to be wearing pants.
Clothing is this wonderful invention that at its height, can be used to express one’s self and at its most basic use, works to cover one’s body. When I came back from winter break, I was amazed to see that many young women had used the cold to their advantage. They had decided to dress in clothing appropriate for the weather and the occasion of getting out of bed/going to school.
Yet there are still some young women who brave the cold and tramp around campus in thin leggings or, even worse, the majestic Nike shorts. But why? This is masochism! There is no reason to be cold while also in a shapeless baggy shirt. Not only does winter provide you with the opportunity to create fun warm outfits with boots, scarves, and chunky Cosby Show sweaters, but it also gives you the opportunity to express yourself through many layers and textures. Clothing can be fun, it can keep you warm (or cool), and it can compliment a person’s shape in ways an old T-shirt and leggings cannot.
The topic of one’s shape brings me to my second point: There are parts of everyone’s anatomy that should not be represented in the classroom. Unfortunately, leggings have the special power of accentuating them in a very inappropriate way. A similar dilemma happens when young women wear shorts so short that their T-shirts provide the allusion that the woman has nothing on underneath.
This is not appropriate! One should have an acceptable amount of clothing over the delicate parts of our bodies. When students come to class in a way that emphasizes the allusions of nudity they are not only being disrespectful to their instructors but to the institution as a whole.
Not only is rolling out of bed and to coming to class half-dressed disrespectful, but it dulls one’s senses as well. Being dressed, even in just jeans and a well-fitted T-shirt, allows a person the certain kind of alertness that prepares them to think critically and learn. The soft material of sleep-ware or the breezy athletic nature of Nike shorts does not sharpen one’s senses. Being in non-elastic based clothing can be uncomfortable, but the discomfort is a reality you must quickly overcome. Wearing appropriate clothing shows that you respect yourself and those around you. If you dress for success then you will succeed. If you are dressed for a slumber party, then maybe you shouldn’t have left the house.
With that said, I do understand that getting dressed can be the most difficult part of one’s day. I often have difficulty doing both of these things, but I do them because I am an adult. Learning to get out of bed and put on a real outfit prepared me for work after college. In fact, the repetition of dressing in college gave me the tools to do it mindlessly and quickly for work while hungover. Yes, wearing clothes can be a chore, but it’s a chore that makes us human, a chore that we can have a sense of pride in, and a chore that can garner respect and prepare us for the day.
So I ask all of the ladies reading: Let’s welcome spring with bright, fun, coordinated outfits. Let’s keep those pants on, or slip into a fun dress, or maybe even a pair of length appropriate shorts. School is not an extension of the gym or bedroom. We should dress accordingly.
Kirby Johnson is a graduate student in creative writing.
Leading in today’s Crimson White:
Alabama prepares for 1st scrimmage, adjusts after break
