As a 13-year-old in March 2020, the few things on my mind were my spring birthday and how I would spend it with all my friends. It was meant to be a summer break filled with late nights and adventures, and getting ready to enter high school and my teenage years. However, against my wishes, the second half of the month led to an extended spring break, classes held over Google Meet, and my mother sewing fabric masks for when we had to run to the store for necessities. After more than 118,000 cases and 4,291 deaths, the pandemic was officially declared, and my ideal view for my early teenage years shifted entirely.
The COVID-19 pandemic changed everything. And now, just over five years after its original announcement, we have almost forgotten its presence entirely. It has been reduced to the masks collecting dust in a drawer, the empty social gap in your calendar when looking back at those years, and the funny jokes we made online about toilet paper prices and availability. The traumatic emotions and permanent changes are hardly ever even addressed. It’s almost as if COVID-19 never happened.
And yet, it did. Ignoring its presence means ignoring the influence it had on everything. Pricing, socialization, work ethic, and screen addiction have all changed extremely since 2020. One of the topics that goes unnoticed when it comes to these social shifts is simpler than you would think: fashion.
Think back to 2020. Canceled plans. “Extended” breaks. Closed restaurants. Working from home. Were you dressing your best?
The answer is obvious: no.
In July 2020, BGSU interviewed assistant teaching professor and coordinator of Bowling Green State University’s top-ranked apparel merchandising and product development program, Marian Zengel. Zengel’s commentary reads, “Everyone joked about attending Zoom meetings in their pajamas, but it’s not far off from actuality. People were wearing knit leggings versus pencil skirts, and polos versus button-downs with neckties. Because we were all experiencing the same environment, it became acceptable to wear a ball cap to a meeting. It was a nice change, and it built camaraderie.”
In 2020, at the time of the article’s publication, the fashion change read as camaraderie. And, yes, it was. But that doesn’t come without a permanent negative impact. It may not be as severe as office-wear pajama pants, but the return to fashion as it was before the pandemic may be a difficult task.
A 2023 article from The Hill shows alarming poll results found in a post-pandemic atmosphere. The writing features a Gallup poll, which shows 72% of employees in the United States wear either business casual or street clothes to work.
Even outside of the office, a love for dressing your best seems to have dwindled in everyday life. On nearly every college campus or high school, pajama pants are seen on multiple students. Hoodies and sweatshirts, which have admittedly been worn for many years prior to the pandemic, are still most certainly more visible in semi-formal environments than button-downs and dresses. Audiences wear jeans to Broadway performances, ball caps to nice birthday dinners, and sneakers to prom.Â
Casual fashion is in, and formal clothing seems to be going out entirely. And the culprit is COVID-19.
As someone who enjoys dressing up, I would like to encourage a new wave of formal, “try-hard” outfits. As much as I love being comfortable, there is something special about feeling confident and glammed up to take on the day. And it has so many perks! Performing stronger in daily tasks while looking purposefully good is a common trend. Confidence is increased over time when effort is put into appearance. Finding a personal style is also an important step for those in growing ages when finding their individual personality, morals, and behaviors.Â
Many people used their time inside during the pandemic to prioritize personal style, which resulted in decade trends of the 2020s, digital fashion journalism, documenting on social media, and individual style growth for those individuals. While highlighting the many negatives of the pandemic, this is a perfect example of an optimistic takeaway. Let’s follow in the footsteps of those creators who built their style through an uncertain time. Allow them to inspire us to do the same.
I push you to put on your heels or dress shoes, match the colors of your outfit to each other, and play with jewelry and accessories. Our general population may be moving away from effort-filled outfits and dressing up for events as a concept, but that doesn’t mean you need to. If you feel called upon to push toward a nicer-looking ensemble, I encourage you to do so. And I can’t wait to see it.