Three weeks ago, I noticed trends on campus and thought they were worth investigating. I found that most guys and girls on campus have certain pieces of clothing (yoga pants and basketball shorts) that they fall back on to be comfortable.
What about the students that don’t choose to wear these articles of clothing?
During my lengthy sits in the CUB, I noticed that overall girls seemed to be wearing ensembles (outfits put together with forethought) more often than yoga pants. However, almost every male student I saw was wearing basketball shorts.
In the animal kingdom, it is normally the males who are, for lack of a better word, prettier, the peacock being a brilliant example. Its dazzling plumage doubles as a sign of virility and tool for intimidation, protecting its territory from predators and other males. The peahen is left with rather unfortunate lackluster feathers the color of dirt.
It seems that the human race is quite the inverse. While the WSU campus is home to many a snappy dressing gentleman, most do not seem as infatuated with their appearances as their female counterparts.
There seems to be a deep crevasse between male and female mentalities regarding fashion. Why does it seem that a guy can throw on whatever and leave the house feeling perfectly content while girls feel the need to wear ensembles? With an uncanny likeness to Rodin’s Thinker, I sat and pondered.
Do girls wear clothing to impress guys? It does seem this could be a probable answer. If you want the bro in your geology class to notice you, it would make sense to slap a pair of heels on and strut your stuff. However, contrary to popular belief, many guys don’t really care what we wear. Sure, they like it when we look good, but they would just as likely take us in jeans and t-shirts.
More likely, girls may wear fashion forward ensembles to impress other girls. I think that it is entirely possible that we wear what we do in search of acceptance from those around us. To be completely honest, I care more about the opinions of women regarding my wardrobe than that of the men folk.
When you look like you care about your appearance, do people treat you differently? I will be the first to admit that I am an attention seeker, and it feels good to be validated by compliments. However, these compliments not only acknowledge my clothes, but my existence. When my choices in fashion are applauded, I feel a connection to someone that proves that I am not floating like a lonely ghost around campus.
Maybe it’s the way clothing makes us feel. When I wear heels on campus, I imagine “Bulletproof” by La Roux playing in my wake, a proverbial theme song rendering me unstoppable. When I look good, I feel good and practically ooze confidence. This leads to positive changes in my mood and my posture, characteristics I notice in other girls who are snappy dressers.
When it comes down to it, there are a handful of things that separate men from women. Sexual dimorphism aside, men are creatures of action while women are more manipulative. Unlike the peacock, human males don’t seem to need flashy plumage to attract and intimidate. What the fairer sex wears allows inferred statements about ourselves without having to use words or action.
Is there a double standard in our society that holds women to a different standard than men? Is this why some girls feel like slobs wearing sweat pants in public while guys feel right at home in them?
I am not ignorant enough to say that I completely understand the male psyche regarding fashion, or the female take for that matter. Some girls would not be caught dead in a pair of stilettos, and some guys wear shirts and ties every day.
After thinking for an inordinate amount of time about seeming unanswerable questions, I realized that I was going about it all wrong. I could have interviewed Cougs by the thousands, and I would have still been miles away from an answer.
I finally came to the conclusion that while there is a difference in the fashion mentalities of men and women, the true difference lies in the mentalities of the individual.