It’s finally September. The leaves are starting to fade into beautiful shades of orange and gold, and for those of us in Happy Valley, this means the abrupt end of summer. With Labor Day officially over and Panhellenic Recruitment right around the corner, you would think we would soon be seeing the end of those colorful and flowy summer dresses, right?
For us, September means getting up at the crack of dawn, paw print tattoos, high socks paired with high-waisted shorts and a “We Are” or “Obrien’s Lions” t-shirt. It means throwing on our favorite paint splattered converse, because who cares about looking cute when you and 100,000 of your closest friends are all trying not to sit down before half-time? As we’re getting ready to play dizzy bat and scream “WE ARE PENN STATE” from the top of our lungs, the last thing we want to think about is adjusting our dresses so that we look “lady-like.”
Too bad our SEC counterparts don’t seem to agree.
Now, I’m southern raised and don’t get me wrong, I’ve NEVER complained about using koozies everywhere I go because it’s ‘the right way’ to do it, or having to wear a dress and cowboy boots to a Luke Bryan concert (trust me, I WANT Luke to see me shaking it in my adorable dress for him). But come on now, at a football game? Where are your shirts covered with school spirit slogans that drive your rivals crazy? Where are your beads and body paint? I’ve always cringed at the thought of my best friends (who all go to southern schools), dressing up in glamorous outfits that match their school colors—yes they specifically go shopping for these—with their hair perfectly straightened or curled to match. Meanwhile, here at Penn State, even describing our football attire as “dressing down” would be an understatement.
Hey, but maybe that’s because a person that doesn’t understand the concept of football formal wear could only belong to the best school in the country.
Okay, okay, for fear of sounding a little too obsessed with my school, I’ll admit, my friends say they love dressing up on games days, and no matter where you go or what you’re wearing, it’s all about the love of the game and tradition. No one cares what the person next to them is wearing when Hackenberg is running to make a pass for the first down. (On a serious note: who is actually even watching the ball as Hackenberg is running…?)
With all of that said, there would be a few heart attacks if you showed up to Beaver Stadium in anything BUT the accessories below. Here are some necessities you should have when getting ready for that big home game this Saturday at Beaver Stadium:
1. Penn state t-shirt (if you don’t own one, do you even go here?)
2. Comfy shoes for when tailgating, the walk to the stadium, and standing for hours finally seizes the life in your legs
3. Beads, beads, a few pom poms, and of course, more beads
4. Sunglasses or baseball cap for those sunny days
5. A ponytail holder – because who cares about having perfectly straightened hair when it’s burning up outside anyway?
Make sure you have these essentials and I can assure that your game day will be as fun and entertaining as watching the Willard Preacher argue about how often Penn State students “get it.”