United Through Stress (and Sweatpants?)

As I was walking home from class Tuesday morning, I spotted a sight that was much too entertaining to spot at such an early hour. Seriously, you’d never guess what it was…but don’t worry, because I’m going to tell you. It was a pair of boys! Wearing pajamas! The footie kind! Onesies, I tell you. Assuredly, it was a “made you look!” kind of moment.

Today I write to bring you a different kind of post. In my past two blog posts, I’ve analyzed apparent and relatively tangible happy things. But today’s happy thing is a little bit more of an idea, and it’s much more perspective-based. So without further ado, let me bring to your attention my interpretation of the interesting clothing combinations that I’ve seen across campus.

Undeniably, there exists a prototype for the stereotypical college student. Messy hair, bags under the eyes, countless coffee cups, and equal amounts of homework and stress. But what would you describe to be the standard outfit of this disastrous college student? Back in August and early September, I observed my peers putting effort into their outfits for class each day- sundresses, polo shirts, nice pants, cute skirts…but in recent weeks, however, I’ve noticed a shift in the attire of these same Penn Staters. The semester is becoming more and more involved as we near the midway point, and things like our appearances are being pushed down on the list of our priorities. Flannel pajama pants, the baggiest of baggy sweatshirts, Ugg boots, and fuzzy neon socks are being pulled out from storage and hitting the campus sidewalks. Oh, and let’s not forget the iconic socks and sandals combo. Such a classic.

The best part about this wardrobe change is that it’s okay! It would be very easy for people to look down on others for looking disheveled when the times get tough, but I don’t see that happening on our campus. Sure, we may chuckle at the especially quirky outfits (I don’t know what kind of person wouldn’t be amused by the onesie boys), but we don’t laugh at our peers…we laugh with them! After all, we have all been there before, and surely, we can all relate. Penn State students are all united by one driving force- the pursuit of a higher education and of course, maintaining that ever important GPA. And as we all know, these things don’t come without hard work and the inevitable long nights of grueling studying. Unfortunately, the grind is not always pretty! These lazy staple pieces of clothing have become a symbol of hard work. We, as students, recognize the necessity of placing our educations above how cute or trendy our everyday outfits look. 

In fact, the way I perceive it, it’s an admirable thing that students here at Penn State feel comfortable enough to step out of our dorms in clothes that we may have only ever worn around our homes with our families. Or maybe, we just feel like our peers are our family, and our campus is our home. And at home, pajamas and slippers are always welcomed and highly encouraged.

2 thoughts on “United Through Stress (and Sweatpants?)

  1. Hi Caitlin! Your post truly made me want to go slip on a new pair or PJs and crawl into bed. I really love the vibe at Penn State, in that everyone just wants to be happy, and that means being comfortable in our skin and clothes! I think apart of the big school culture is a lot of pride- and comfort. At some preppy smaller schools dressing well at all times is apart of the social climate, but at Penn State that doesn’t exist, at least to me. Thanks for making me happy in the valley :).

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