Comfort is the New Cool
Choosing clothes is difficult, and so is having good style. I have noticed that, especially at school, many students prefer wearing comfortable clothes such as sweatpants and hoodies instead of clothes that may be considered “fashionable.” I also think that after the pandemic, when we were confined to our homes and did school online, there wasn’t much of a reason to dress up. Now, those fashion choices have transferred into normal daily lives. However, fashion is subjective. For many, they can find their own personal style through clothes that make them feel comfortable. Also, fashion is not a priority for many people due to several factors such as keeping up with rapidly changing trends and the cost of maintaining a stylish wardrobe.
According to the survey I sent out to all high school students, kids tend to wear sweats, leggings, t-shirts, and exercise clothes while they are at school. However, many of them said they choose to wear nicer clothes outside of school. The reason for that is that we go to school every day, so there is less motivation to dress up just to see the same people and go to the same place. Also, it takes a lot of effort to consider outfit options, shop for a variety of clothes, and accessorize properly. Since Galloway does not have a dress code, there is no pressure to wear certain clothes and the choice is entirely up to us students. Some kids do enjoy wearing stylish or trendy clothes to school; many of them said they wear sweaters, formal clothing, cute tops, and jeans. To many, the most important aspect of style and a good outfit is cohesion and confidence, which you can achieve no matter what types of clothing you wear.
When I asked whether or not students prefer to be comfortable or stylish, the majority said both. Many students (including myself) alternate days when they feel like looking cuter and more fashionable or are just in the mood to relax and throw on sweatpants and a sweatshirt. For some others, comfort is achieved by feeling good about themselves and their outfit, so they tend to opt for more stylish clothing choices. Of course, a good amount of students could care less about style (I don’t blame them) and wear whatever makes them feel comfortable. I do believe that there are plenty of fashionable clothing items that are also not restricting and are easy to wear.
Clothing is a popular way to express yourself. Many students explained that they represent how they are feeling at the moment through the way they dress, and some just wear what makes them feel happy. Personal style is a way to show everyone who you are, and a lot of people at Galloway have very distinct styles that are unique to them. However, a lot of students wear outfits from fashion categories including indie, y2k, preppy, and grunge. However, people who express themselves in ways other than clothing usually put less effort into their outfits.
In the end, students should wear whatever makes them feel good about themselves, comfortable or not. Also, the purpose of fashion is to help us express our individuality. Trends change and our own opinions on fashion change, but the purpose of style doesn’t. Maybe comfort is the new cool, but it doesn’t matter as long as we wear what makes us happy.
By Ella Marks