Wear the Jacket
“Ok, but is it UGLY ugly?” I asked my mom, via FaceTime with my camera flipped as I faced a full-length mirror in a cramped dressing room.
“I mean… kind of,” she said.
This was not the answer I was looking for.
“No, mom! You don’t see the vision!” I said.
Photo courtesy of Audrey Barrera
The piece in question was an oversized sweater draped over my body with asymmetrical blocks of orange, red, pink, and blue overlaying a gray backdrop. Its three-quarter-length sleeves fall just past the elbow. Part of me agreed with her; this wasn’t a conventionally cute article of clothing, nor did I need it. I loved it anyway and thus, purchased it.
Clearly, I was feeling a bit more confident in the dressing room than I was getting dressed before class, because once I pulled the sweater over my head in the comfort of my home, I was reminded of the conversation I had with my mom. She ended up being supportive (phew, thanks, mom!), but now I was more concerned with what others thought of it. Unfortunately, I am not immune to caring about how I’m perceived, and would prefer it if people didn’t find my style ugly! Is that so crazy?
Moments like this happen all too often with my wardrobe. Once, instead of my mom giving feedback, a boy I was slightly interested in at the time told me that this jacket I tried on made me look like the man with the yellow hat from Curious George. It was a joke in good spirits – and he wasn’t wrong – but I liked the jacket, so I bought it anyway.
Photo from Pinterest
But alas, as I got ready to go out in public, I doubted my initial positive feelings over these pieces and feared that I was about to look like a fool. Like the TikTok trend, I imagined I’d go outside and hear the masses judging my outfit and chanting in unison, “What is she wearing?!”
At this point in the morning, I only had minutes to finish getting dressed, spray on perfume, and maybe brush on mascara. I was faced with a few options:
Opt for a safer outfit. A cute sweater with jeans and sneakers never fails. I could’ve hung up my bright yellow jacket and gone about the day, not giving a second thought to my outfit or how it's perceived. Basic is basic for a reason.
Wear the jacket, but be self-conscious because I looked like a minion.
Wear the jacket. Style it to my liking. And get over myself. Besides, who doesn’t like minions?
I threw on the vibrant jacket and kept the rest of the outfit tame – a white shirt, blue jeans, and loafers. Out the door I went.
Photo courtesy of Audrey Barrera
To my surprise, nobody threw bananas at me or called me a minion, and I wasn’t asked if I was in a Curious George costume. I even received quite a few compliments. But most importantly, I liked my outfit.
In the midst of finding my personal style, it’s far too easy to have a blurry vision of what looks good and what doesn’t. It’s trial and error – and I’ve had lots of wardrobe errors – but the greatest error is subscribing to external opinions over wearing what you want.
The compliments felt great, but even if nobody batted an eye at my outfit, I would’ve been content with trying something new and wearing something that aligned with how I want to present myself. Confidence doesn’t come from fitting in – it starts the moment you ask yourself, “Ok, but is it UGLY ugly?” and wear it anyway.
