What's on your mind?

Opinion Writer

The first day of school was last week, and it got me thinking. Thinking about the promise of new classes, new acquaintances, new teachers, and new experiences. But as my mind often does, I wandered into other aspects of a new school year. Like back-to-school shopping and wearing new clothes.

I remember vividly, every year on the first day of school, waking up to put on the clothes which I had deemed “the best” of all the new clothes I got during my back-to-school shopping. My mom thought she was a glamour shots photographer and would set my stepbrother and I in front of the fireplace in awkward poses to document our first day in a new grade.

This led me to wonder if these same principles apply or carry on into college. When I started my collegiate career, I was at a large university where parking was terrible (worse than it has been here lately) and I had to ride a bus to class everyday. I woke up the first morning and attempted to drink a cup of coffee.

Of course I hate coffee, but that’s what college people do, right? Anyway, as I was forcing down my gritty black lava water I began to think about those first days of my youth and whether they still apply in college. I had this view of college where everyone wore sweats and ballcaps because they didn’t care what people thought. “Nobody cares what they look like in college,” I thought to myself.

So, I pulled on some jeans and threw on an old gray t-shirt. Before I stepped out of the house to embark on my new journey, I slipped on my ratty dollar flip-flops and headed to the bus stop. I stood waiting for the bus, confident in my decision to dress down, when I saw the bus heading my way. The doors opened and I stepped inside. I thought I had gotten on the wrong bus; it seemed to be filled with the cast from “Laguna Beach” or “The Hills.”

I couldn’t believe how dressed up everyone was. The guys looked like the mannequins I saw at the Hollister the week before, and the girls looked like they were straight out of a Chanel magazine ad. Here I was looking like I had not even showered in two days and did my shopping at the thrift store (but not in a trendy way).

I took a seat between Joe Jonas and Taylor Swift look-a-likes and contemplated missing my first class in exchange for a wardrobe change.
The day seemed like a total failure as I felt like an outcast, but as someone once said, “It’s the man that makes the clothes, not the clothes that make the man.”

So here is the question I’m asking you.

Did you dress up this year for your first day of class at WT? I’m not talking put clothes on, I mean did you wear the most recently purchased item in your closet, fix your hair, and go out of your way to make a good first impression?

This week it’s simple: pick up your phone and text us YES or NO to 817-480-2319. Don’t worry its anonymous and no one will judge you, so text in the truth and/or send your picture to theprairiemail@yahoo.com then check back for the results in next weeks issue.

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