Self-discovery through sweatpants
RAEGAN HEDLEY, LIFESTYLE COLUMNIST
You’re either on my team or you’re not on this one: don’t wear sweatpants.
Your instructor has the decency to put on pants with a zipper every morning — shouldn’t you show the people around you the same respect? Another reason you shouldn’t wear them is because they have a time and place — going to the gym, cleaning your house or laying immobile with snacks.
I’m not exactly the most fashionable person (I wear a toque to school at least twice a week to hide my hair), but I’m with Karl Lagerfeld when he said, “sweatpants are a sign of defeat. You lost control of your life, so you bought sweatpants.”
Sweatpants are a symptom of a bigger problem. I believe you should wear what you feel best in. I know, for a fact, you probably aren’t feeling like your best self when you get up and decide to put on a pair of sweatpants in the morning.
Finding your personal style is a difficult journey to begin with, but making time to look presentable is always worth it.
I’ve been making some pretty drastic life changes lately. I opened my closet to get dressed one morning and realized that everything I owned was meant to help me blend in and go unnoticed. Some people own a monochromatic wardrobe because it’s what they feel best in, but I chose one because I wanted to disappear into my surroundings.
I’ve been buying the same type of clothing for three years out of habit and comfort, but I’m no longer the same person I was when I adopted that style. It felt like I was pretending to still be the person I was when I bought those clothes, even though I’m not. It finally clicked why getting dressed was so defeating.
What does this have to do with professionalism? It’s so much easier to be a confident, polished, professional version of yoursel f when you feel good about the way you look.
Challenge yourself when you are doing something like reaching for those sweatpants. Is it because you’re half asleep? Is it because you want to be comfortable? Is it because you hate your wardrobe? Is it because you truly don’t care about whatever you are showing up to?
It’s not just how you dress. What you wear communicates who you are, how you feel about yourself and what you’re doing. If you don’t feel good about the way you look, start paying attention and asking questions, like you would if you were sitting in class.
You owe it to yourself to put the sweatpants away. I promise you that.
Raegan Hedley is a sassy millennial who aspires to someday become a kick-ass business professional. In the meantime, she writes on her blog at raegjules.com and tweets way too much (@raegjules).
