Despite college campuses reopening this past academic year, things are not quite as we left them. Sure, there are all these new policies in play to keep everyone Covid-safe, and many of our classes take place behind a computer screen, but there’s still something not quite right. For some reason, many college students have been turning in the sweats and the hoodies for jeans and a cute shirt. Overall, many college students have been putting a lot more effort into the way they look, despite seeing people face-to-face less and less.
There are several reasons at play for this phenomenon, although all are linked to the coronavirus as an indirect source. Since March 2020, people have been locked away in their houses, doing work or school online, and not doing much of anything else. As something we have all had to deal with, it’s understandable that many people lost their sense of purpose to get dressed up for the day. Without people to see or places to go, we regress back to laziness, spending day after day, week after week, even month after month in our sweats and pajamas. Many people have found, however, that getting dressed up and looking good wasn’t just for seeing other people; it was mostly for themselves.
Everyone has their own individual sense of style, which is why clothing is a popular outlet for expressing one’s self to the public. Because we weren’t dressing up very much in the early stages of quarantine, people began to feel more stressed, anxious and lose sight of themselves without this focal part of the every day routine. As a result, many people did try and bring this aspect of routine—their last hold on normalcy—back into their lives.
As vaccines get dished out and the country begins to open back up, people are finally getting the opportunity to see each other again. The desire to dress and impress has not died down despite this increase of in-person contact, a change that I believe is for the better. People continue to rock outfits that they feel confident in, showing off their true colors to whoever happens to glance their way. What once was a sea of pajamas and athleisure-wear has transformed into a colorful array of vibrant personalities, bringing out the inner fashionistas in us all. I never thought I would say this…but thank you, Covid!
