OPINION: RE: Prioritize style, not comfort

Last Wednesday, an opinion column was released on Technician’s website that called for a move from comfort to style in the midst of online learning. At first glance, it seems like any other “how to save yourself from boredom during a pandemic” article. However, it has also brought to light a lot of the most prevalent red flags that exist in this country, mostly in regards to what is defined as self-care and how it relates to the “dress for success” movement.

Overton’s column does a lot of good in pushing people to find the things that make them happy, things that make the days interesting. But it feels self-centered to presume that there’s only one type of self-care. Self-care is subjective and not up to one individual to define it, and phrases like “Don’t switch from the pair of too-small pajama pants to your threadbare NC State sweatpants with the hole in the waist and call it self-care” ring hollow when they’re described as the end all.

Style can be fun, but at the end of the day, we’re in the middle of a pandemic. Thousands of NC State students have been forced to move off campus due to a rise in COVID-19 clusters around the University. There are stressors everywhere, and right now, people have a lot of other things to worry about, and I don’t think fashion is very high on that list.

In fact, demanding people to consider style right now has the same undercurrent of classism that the style industry often indulges. It’s easy to preach how simple it is to look amazing during your Zoom meetings when you’re not living dollar to dollar, but as COVID-19 rages on, money is becoming more and more of an issue. During the week of Aug. 8 alone, 27 million Americans filed for some sort of financial assistance due to unemployment, and even before the pandemic, 14% of NC State students identified as food insecure.

Not everybody can afford to purchase a bunch of brand new blouses or 4-inch boots. Assuming that everybody has either the money or the time to build a professional wardrobe just to attend their online, 250-person freshman math class is an incredibly elitist way of thinking.

However, the issue expands beyond affordability and money. The idea of dressing professionally is something that has always been changing and subjective, and it’s often used to keep women, people of color and members of the LGBTQ+ community in a box. From the time we’re in middle school, everyone is being judged based on their appearance, whether that’s due to a school dress code, familial expectations or work requirements.

There has been case after case of young Black girls being forced to change their hairstyles to match those of their white classmates, whether that means cutting their braids or avoiding natural styles. But it extends beyond schools and into the workplace too. Studies have found that women must spend up to an hour on their appearance every day in order to keep up with their male coworkers and more attractive women make up to 20% more than those who put less effort into their everyday attire. These sort of stipulations on beauty have no place in the workplace or in school. Skills, dedication and experience should be defining factors. Women should not be forced to wear makeup or heels or dresses just to fit someone else’s standards. Men and women do not exist for the sheer pleasure of being eye candy. We are all people, not dolls that can be dressed up as someone else pleases.

And at the end of the day, it all comes down to comfort. Your classmates are paying just as much as you are to sit in their beds and watch online lectures. They should feel no obligation to dress up just to impress a bunch of people who probably aren’t, or shouldn’t be, paying too much attention to them anyways. It’s not like comfortable clothing is specific to Zoom University. Sweatpants have been a college student staple for years. It makes sense that our usual “dress code” would stick around as we move from the classroom to our own homes.

By requesting that the student body set aside their insecurities or comforts just because you don’t want to look at their old, and probably very comfortable, T-shirt, you are placing your own opinions higher than theirs. Why should they be forced to feel uncomfortable in their own homes for you to feel comfortable while staring at their 1 inch box on your Zoom meeting?

This pandemic has brought a lot of really negative things into the lives of every NC State student. It has hurt people and caused a lot of physical and mental damage. Let people have their comforts. Let them take some time for self-care. And most importantly, let them wear their old T-shirts and ratty sweatpants. It’s not hurting anyone.