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I Tried Not Wearing Leggings & It Sucked

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Carthage chapter.

I’m not going to lie, I love living in a time where one of the hottest trends is athleisure. An excuse to wear comfortable pants and still look put together? What more could a girl ask for? Although leggings aren’t always the appropriate option (thanks, business formal), it’s still preferred. As graduation approaches, I’m coming to the realization that soon, I cannot wear my favorite legging looks, in exchange for dress pants and skirts for the 9-5. In order to prepare myself for what’s about to come, I attempted to go as many days as I could without wearing leggings.

I made it for two days. I really tried to go a whole week, but my motivation was gone as soon as it came. My schedule became too hectic, and the last concern I had was what I was going to wear the next day. The advantage of still being a student is I have this luxury of choosing to try or not try, and I took advantage of it.

Monday

I started off strong, I planned out my outfit the night before, so it gave me one less step to do in the morning. I went through my day feeling a little more confident than usual because I felt good in my outfit. I mean, how could I not after making the extra effort to lay it out the night before? Because of that I actually felt more excited to go through my day – I just really wanted to show off my outfit. I usually end up changing my outfit midday to leggings when I start with jeans, but this day I ended up keeping my jeans on all day. Crazy. Don’t know where that confidence came from?

Tuesday

I was excited to feel as confident as I did Monday. I had a busier schedule to get through but was certain if I was in a good mood, it would be okay. Long story short, it was a loooooong day. By the time I got back into my room in the evening, I traded my jeans for sweats (I hope that’s not cheating). I spent a majority of that day sitting in uncomfortable chairs and desks, and I was seriously regretting not wearing something comfier. I was so exhausted after this day, I couldn’t think of an outfit for Wednesday. This led to me giving up. RIP.

So moral of the story, I suck. But I did learn that I felt more confident in myself when I wore something I loved. I buy jeans and see cute outfits all the time, but when college, work, and extracurriculars get in the way, it’s hard to want to try, and I inevitably choose comfort over style. There’s absolutely no judgment in anyone’s outfit of choice, I just really want to know what I’m up against come June working a 9-5.

Ali Jagielo

Carthage '19

Ali is a senior at Carthage College majoring in English with a double minor in Communications and Public Relations. She is originally from Westmont, IL, but wishes to one day live in Chicago. She is a proud member of the Beta Lambda chapter of Chi Omega here at Carthage. When she is not working or in class, she loves to spend her time reading, watching Netflix, or going on adventures with her friends.
Jane Eckles

Carthage '19

Jane graduated from Carthage College in May 2019 with a degree in English and Secondary Education. She is from Merced, California, which is close enough to San Fransisco for her to confirm that the City by the Bay is her absolute favorite. When she's not teaching or writing articles, she can be found collecting any book she can get her hands on, watching Netflix, staring mindlessly into the void, or napping.