Monday and Wednesday on the third week of February, I chose to dress up more (on Monday, the 15th) and less (Wednesday, the 17th) than I typically do. My Mondays and Wednesdays usually have a very similar schedule. After my morning workouts, I go to two classes and study at the Wilkinson Center for about an hour before heading home. Additionally, I went to Smith’s both days in order to complete the assignment. I normally dress up every day, so dressing even more up was a bit of a difficult task. I am a firm believer that you should always represent yourself in the best way possible. People will judge you based off of how you look, so I was excited to see how people would react to me dressing differently.

First, on Monday, I decided to wear a nice dress from Anthropologie that I had been given for my birthday last year. Normally I would only wear this dress to weddings or church events. I was a bit nervous to wear it to a casual day of classes because I knew those I normally encountered would be caught off-guard. I also wore some Steve Madden heels that are not unusual for me to wear on campus, but probably seemed very fancy with the dress. I was pleasantly surprised to receive an abundance of compliments on my outfit. People told me throughout the day that I looked great and that they loved my outfit! A few people asked why I was dressed so nice—they figured I had an important event or that I was going to the temple after school. All of the verbal feedback I received was positive, but I also noticed people were staring more than usual. I definitely stood out among the students (including my noticeable height difference from other girls thanks to my heels). Possibly my favorite reaction came from my boyfriend when he saw me. He said something like, “Wow, you look beautiful, Des!” Although he does say this relatively often, this time felt very sincere and different! When I went to Smith’s, I did notice that people seemed a bit more friendly than normal. Perhaps it is because it looked like I had money. When people appear to have more or be in a “higher” position than us, we often offer them our instant respect, sometimes subconsciously. Most importantly, I felt incredible all day! I felt put together and beautiful, which I believe is the best reason for dressing up. At times, I felt a little bit uncomfortable being dressed up more than my peers, but it is a great boost to the self-esteem. I once talked to a woman that served in the state legislature who told me women in politics nearly always wear heels. This is not to be fashionable, but simply to show themselves and their male peers their power. I completely agree that fashion can change both the way others think of us and the way we think of ourselves!

The second day, Wednesday, I needed to dress down. I am not a fan of dressing down and having “lazy days” because then I start to act lazy! I decided to wear a sporty look of leggings, a t-shirt, a sweatshirt, and some running shoes. At first I was thrilled; I was very comfortable! Throughout the day, no one seemed to act any different. I definitely did not receive any compliments on my outfit, but no one made any negative comments either. I received no unusual stares, probably because other students empathize for the laziness. One friend mentioned she was jealous because I looked so comfortable and she wished she had taken a “lazy day”. One personally unfortunate consequence of dressing down was that I felt tired all day. It seemed much easier to fall asleep in class and to doze off.  I also felt self-conscious all day and did not feel my best. When I saw people I wanted to impress, I had to hide because I did not want to represent myself in that way. Again, no one seemed to act differently when I went to the store. No one noticed me at all, in fact. Although this outfit was more “comfortable” than Monday’s outfit, I felt far more uncomfortable when I did not put effort into my outfit. It was much more unusual for me to dress down and I did not like it.

In class, we discussed the relevance of “attractiveness” in fashion. We talked about the fact that women are typically more likely to judge physical attractiveness than men. I found this idea to be true from my own experiences with this paper. I received FAR more looks and comments from women than from men. Another concept from class I felt was applicable to this paper was the difference between self-concept and self-esteem. Although my self-esteem (or the degree of positivity or negativity of myself) was a variable affected by my clothing, my self-concept (or the beliefs I hold about my attributes and the value of these qualities) was never affected. I think it is important to remember that although what you wear makes a difference in how others see you and how you feel, it is only superficial. What you wear does not define the beauty within and your overall self! One lazy day did not make me a lazy person. A final example from the class that I felt applied to this paper was the notion of “looking-glass self.” After participating in this little experiment, I came to understand it much better! I am a self-described victim to looking-glass self. Many times I chose what I wear based not off of what I only like, but based off of what I think others will think when they see me. I definitely base my social self on what my ideal self is. This is the main motivate behind why I dress the way I do. I try to be the person I want to be through the way I portray myself and the way I hope others view me.

After this small experiment, my views on dressing up definitely were enforced. For me, the way I dress is an equivalent to the way I feel. After dressing down for this paper, I decided that I will try to avoid dressing down at all costs. While writing this paper, I found a quote that gave the idea that it is always better to be overdressed than underdressed. Fashion has a huge effect on my self-esteem and confidence and it is something I have so much control over.