I think we all can agree that Zoom University has been pretty interesting so far, don’t you think? It will definitely take some adjusting to get back into my usual school groove now that I’m still at home and classes are virtual. But with that said, I wanted to spend today’s blog post trying to convince you that you should still get dressed for your online classes, or virtual work, or anything else you’re doing while at home, even if you are just staying in your bedroom all day… Now I’m not saying you have to get completely dolled up—even I won’t be wearing blazers anytime soon—but I am asking that you at least swap the pajama pants for a pair of jeans or leggings. I know it’s crazy talk, but just hear me out. And of course, matching your outfit to your desk decor is completely optional.
1. The most obvious reason to continue getting dressed every morning is that you’ll be more productive. Scientific studies have shown that if you put on a real outfit… oh, wait. I have no idea if scientific studies exist on this matter (probably not). BUT I have concluded from countless data points in my own life that when I put on a real outfit, I am infinitely more productive (or at the very least, more motivated!) than if I were just wearing pajamas or a pair of sweats. Cozy sweats signal to your brain, “Oh, it’s lounge time, I have homework but chilling on that big comfy couch over there while I watch Netflix is a much better option…” Sure, there’s no doubt you’ll face Netflix temptations in whatever clothes you’re wearing, but putting on jeans or a cute top might make you ever-so-slightly uncomfortable enough that your booty won’t automatically sink into it’s favorite indentation in the sofa.
2. Getting dressed helps trigger the start of your day! Yes, breakfast does that too, but I’m always hungry/eating… so food isn’t really a good metric. But once I get dressed, I realize, “Oh, I better not lay in bed anymore. Time to start on today’s work.” If you’re the type of person where your bed is just a constant temptation, no matter the time of day or clothes you’re wearing, then changing into a cute top and leggings or a sweater and jeans can at the very least help establish a routine and kickstart your other usual, pre-coronavirus routines. If I don’t put clothes on early in the morning, then I remain in weekend lounge mode, where I play around on my phone or computer before realizing it’s already noon.
3. Continuing to get dressed means continuing to decrease your cost per wear!!! Come on gals, you probably could have guessed I would mention my infamous cost per wear spreadsheet in this blog post. If you stop wearing your real clothes altogether, you’re not doing yourself any favors to get your money’s worth out of those items. Obsessive? Sure. But cost-conscious? Always…
4. This one sounds counterintuitive… but getting dressed in real clothes might mean less laundry to do in the long run. Let me explain: I don’t know about you, but I only have a few pairs of sweats and even fewer pairs of pajamas. I would certainly run out of clean loungewear before I would run out of real clothes like jeans, other pants, sweaters, etc. So as long as I keep putting on nice-ish clothes, I can continue putting off all my laundry! Woohoo.
5. On a similar note, the loungewear I do have is not cute. It’s mostly hand-me-downs or stained or has tiny holes because it’s so old. Anyone else? Since these are the clothes that only get worn around the house on weekends, I don’t really care that they look grubby and are drab, dark colors. But by putting on real clothes, I can choose a bright, sunny outfit with fun colors and patterns that will lift my spirits… and make staying inside a lot less dull. Can your sweats do that?! Okay… so maybe you do have cute loungewear, and in that case, you win for this point. But for me, a floral tee is way more fun to wear than another one of my oversized, toothpaste stained, basketball t-shirts.
6. You have pretty clothes just waiting in your closet, longing for your return, so DON’T let them go to waste! They’ll collect dust, they’ll start to get that weird closet smell that happens when you don’t wear an item for awhile… (You know what I’m talking about.) Just think about the song “Be Our Guest” from Beauty and the Beast. All the kitchenware and furniture were extremely heartbroken to not be used for so long, and your clothes feel the exact same way. Don’t be the enemy.
7. You can test out new outfit combos without feeling judged. I’m always experimenting with pieces in my closet (if you saw my OOTD video on Instagram two days ago, you know I tried a new look), but experimenting also means failing. Sometimes I wear an outfit for a day and then realize that I didn’t like it at all, that the look didn’t make me feel confident, that it was not cute, etc. Since we’re all staying at home now, it’s a completely judge-free zone to try out crazy outfits, pattern mixing, or new color combos to see how they make you feel. Of course, you probably still have to worry about judge-y family members, but hey, they’re family. It’s their job to tease.
8. I’ve preached about this a lot on the blog, but one of the reasons I love fashion so much is because of how confident and powerful a great outfit can make me feel. With all the stress and uncertainty right now, any little thing we can do to give ourselves a boost of confidence is worth the extra effort. Loungewear will never be able to give me that same feeling of confidence. In fact, as comfy as it might be, I always feel like a slob by the end of the day if I wear sweats and an old tee. Fashion is all about how the clothes make you feel, and I would gladly choose “confident” over “sloppy” any day.
9. If you put on real clothes (or really, any kind of bottoms) then you don’t have to worry about standing up during a Zoom meeting and not having pants on! (People keep joking about this, but really, does anyone ever actually go to a Zoom meeting just in their underwear?) A more realistic outcome of putting on real clothes is that it makes you look like you’re taking the class seriously. Sure, if you’re in Gallery view and only see a bunch of tiny faces on your Zoom screen, it’s probably going to be hard to tell if someone’s wearing a pajama top. But if you end up speaking or having to ask your teacher a question, and your part of the screen gets bigger, it’ll be less embarrassing/awkward if you actually brushed your hair and put a semi-nice top on.
10. Finally, getting dressed can add a little bit of normalcy back to your daily life during this strange time. Everything is different and weird and uncertain right now, but putting together an outfit each morning—like you would have during normal school or work—can establish one activity each day that will not falter and that you can rely on, whether there’s a global pandemic or not.
So… did I convince you to continue getting dressed?? I’m not denying that it’s hard to establish that routine, or find worth, in wearing a cute outfit when we’re just at home and nobody will see it. I admit that sometimes I continue to struggle with putting on real clothes myself, as it’s not easy when you’re feeling down or are super tired. But hopefully by outlining some of the benefits in this blog post, it got you to consider how it might feel to put together an outfit each morning. Just like any habit, it will take a while to establish this ‘new’ practice, so it’s okay if you don’t get dressed every single day. But it’s worth putting on a cute outfit at least once for your classes to see how it makes you feel (and if there’s a difference in your motivation or productivity).
Let me know if you decide to try it or if you’ve already been getting dressed each day. I’d love to hear what’s been working for you! My new uniform has consisted of jeans and sweaters, and sometimes a vest because our house is freezing. What have you been wearing these days?
I hope you all have a great Thursday and weekend, and thanks so much for stopping by today.
Miles of smiles,
Grace
Pink Sweater: JCPenney, $18 // Navy Buffalo Check Vest: JCrew, $50 // Jeans: Francesca’s, $20