Have you ever purposely styled an outfit, only for someone to ask the dreaded question: Why are you so dressed up? The uneasiness rebounding from this question may have you second-guessing your entire outfit. 

Formal attire has developed a stigma. College students sport the uniform ‘60s mods would be ashamed to be caught in: sweatpants, sweatshirts, leggings, sneakers and the occasional jean. In a sort of dystopian way, clones are walking around campus in their matching groutfits—AKA gray sweat outfits (I’m not one to judge—I’m currently wearing my groutfit while writing this). Suffice to say, athleisure has become its own style. 

Most of Gen Z operates under the idea that dressing up is a chore. Wearing a suit and tie on an airplane used to be the norm; now, the colloquial “airplane outfit,” a carefully curated sweatshirt and sweatpants, dominates the skies. Gone are the days when leaving the house meant you needed to look presentable and proper. 

The truth is, nobody is expected to be dressed up anymore, so we figure: why bother?  

Brianna Hieber, president of Kent State’s new club, Formally AdDressing said, “I feel like nobody really dresses up anymore … for the most part, like if you’re walking around on campus, everybody’s in sweatpants or leggings.” 

Kent State fashion students are an exception to this phenomenon, as on any given day, Rockwell Hall is brimming with artfully styled, eye-catching outfits. In fact, the opposite problem exists in Rockwell’s bubble: students feel pressured to dress up for class. 

Sitting in the Rockwell Atrium wearing a gray, suiting-inspired top, mini-skirt and black kitten heels, Anna Maria Scheidemantel, a junior fashion design student, told me just being in Rockwell inspires her to dress up.  

“Seeing the creativity in the air makes you more motivated to go outside of the box, try new things and learn your own style,” Scheidemantel said.  “It’s not appreciated as much in your other classes.” 

In its purest form, fashion is a form of escapism—though not everyone feels this way. For some, selecting an outfit is just a mundane part of their everyday routine. For others, a good outfit is the crux of their identity, a confidence-booster and a marker of their personal style, so dressing up becomes essential. 

The fear of being “too dressed up” happens when we fail to escape into our own personal styles and are persuaded to conform to society’s casual standards. Somewhere along the way, formality stopped being expected, and so it became embarrassing to do the unexpected: dress up. We created this embarrassment, and it is on us to be the change makers who bring enjoyment to dressing up in our everyday lives. 

Hieber and the members of Formally AdDressing, or FAD for short, are already on the mission. For those looking for an outlet to dress up without feeling out of place, FAD is a welcome solace. FAD hosts events where students are encouraged to dress up in formal attire, and it is breaking boundaries: dressing up is no longer a chore, but a community. 

After all, there is no denying the power of an extravagant outfit. Whether it’s wearing the cowboy boots collecting dust in the back of your closet to class, or the blazer you can’t seem to style to the grocery store, A Magazine challenges you to be unexpected. Try dressing up for one day, and see how it makes you feel. You may be surprised how your mood changes once you get over the initial fear and suddenly you’re the most powerful person in the room, turning heads and feeling unstoppable.

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Hi! I’m Hannah Planey, A Magazine’s editor-in-chief. My staff and I are committed to bringing you the most important and entertaining news from the realms of fashion, beauty and culture. We are full-time students and hard-working journalists. While we get support from the student media fee and earned revenue such as advertising, both of those continue to decline. Your generous gift of any amount will help enhance our student experience as we grow into working professionals. Please go here to donate to A Magazine.