I require about five to eight minutes to get dressed in the morning. Reading that state- ment without knowing my gender, people usually imagine I’m a boy whose primary concern before school is finding a semi-clean pair of black Nike socks. This is incorrect. I’m a girl, and not many girls I know boast about their hassle-free mornings.
Ladies: you too can enjoy the leisurely routine I cherish while getting ready for school. I choose to dress comfortably, unhindered by tight jeans that make bending impossible, by impractical shoes that make it a struggle to get to class before the bell, or by suffocating shirts that turn taking a deep breath into a workout. When my alarm goes off, I pull on a pair of comfortable sweatpants and slip a t-shirt over my head. Lacing up a pair of neon blue tennis shoes usually completes my routine.
Because I don’t need 30 or 40 minutes to put on clothes, I’m able to indulge in essential parts of the morning others are deprived of, like food. Too often, girls skip the most important meal of the day so they can wear clothes that fool people into believing they are models on the catwalk when they are, in reality, students in the hallway. According to the American Dietetic Association, students who eat breakfast perform better in the classroom and on the playing field, with better concentration, problem-solving skills and hand-eye coordination. I am not going to give up my scrambled eggs and toast to squeeze into a pair of skinny jeans.
At school, it’s important to remember that we are in the classroom to learn, not to draw the eyes of the dreamy guy in math class. That’s what weekends are for. In comfortable clothes, I’m able to focus without worrying about how I look. Although we might not want to listen to lectures, take tests or write essays, we do not have a choice, and my cozy sweatpants make those not-so-fun classroom activities more bearable.
Although people who dress for comfort are not considered the trendiest students on campus, and although they might miss out on hearing their peers squeal about how so totally cute they always look, sweatpants, t-shirts and tennis shoes never go out of style. Besides, no one will shoot a look of disgust at someone wearing a t- shirt, but the girl wearing the tight, see-through blouse that shows way too much might invite some disapproving glares.
Tomorrow morning, try swapping those stifling jeans for a comfortable pair of sweatpants, and wake up to the sensibility of dressing down.
Click here to read another story by Maggie Teson.
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