Each and every morning we start off by getting out of bed, putting toothpaste on the brush, and picking out an outfit to wear for the rest of the day. The three things that stay constant in the blur of any unimportant morning is what sets up our entire day, week, and month. I find that each day, before the sun comes up, I’m awake, standing in my closet, trying to find an outfit that completely encompasses what I’m feeling.

Most mornings, I find myself feeling completely unmotivated and lazy; if I could have it my way, I would go into school every day wearing my pajamas from the night before. Some days, not very often, I cave in and show up to school in plaid pajama pants and a comfortable tank top. I find that, in the morning, I’m very cozy, but by the end of the day I feel like I’ve accomplished nothing.

The lack of motivation and laziness that I wake up with follows me throughout the day if I can’t get through my main three steps to get ready every monotonous morning. While jeans and tight shirts aren’t always comfortable, I feel put together every time I wear an outfit that I’m in love with. 

When I go through with that one simple task, I feel a sense of accomplishment; I’ve already seen one thing through, and it’s only 7:30 in the morning. Once I get to school, I’m wide awake from making multiple decisions, but I’m also eager to accomplish more.

If I take the time out of my morning to put together a color-coordinated outfit with a matching jewelry set, I find that everyone else compliments my clothes head-to-toe. 

In middle school, when I didn’t care about my appearance, I always felt like I was less compared to the other girls in my grade who gathered compliments in the seven hours that we roamed through school; but now, I feel loved and noticed every time that I walk the halls.

While fashion is just like art—subjective—it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see where people put their passion. Not everyone dabbles in the same area of expertise as I do, but anyone can see that I put work into what I look like because I care.

Every morning, whether I’m running late or not, I try my best to put on clothes that encompass my mood, make me feel good, and show who I am as a person. Sometimes it can be hard to use the clothes that sit in your closet to make a unique look, but at the end of the day, it’s completely worth every ounce of concentration.

I leave school feeling like I’ve been productive.

I leave school feeling like I’ve inspired others.

Most importantly, I leave school feeling like I put the best version of myself forward all because I took the time to put together something I love.

While everyone expresses themselves through fashion differently, we can still feel the same: happy and encouraged. We feel empowered by our peers in their approval and in our own headspace when we’ve achieved just one minor task. 

Struggling to put together the perfect outfit is something that a lot of people, including those who take their wardrobe quite seriously, find themselves dealing with just minutes before we have to leave for school. It can be LuluLemon leggings, Champion sweatshirts, Off-White shoes, or even thrifted gems that make your outfit all the better.

Like I said, fashion is subjective; you should be able to express yourself through anything between high quality splurges or recycled and reused t-shirts. The only thing that truly counts at the end of the day, is how you feel about yourself.

You don’t need to put on your best shirt for that guy to notice you, or wear your hair a certain way so that one girl will compliment you like she does for everyone else, and you don’t need to buy the most expensive accessories for them to think of you any higher.

The way that you dress yourself is completely up to you; as long as you feel comfortable and empowered, that’s all that really matters.