School Fashion: a Drastic Change

Lazy. That’s one way to put the way most students currently dress for school at Orchard Park High School.  Students wear sweatpants, sweatshirts, and these days, even pajamas on a daily basis. 

Teenagers have started to care less and less about their appearance at school, but that wasn’t always the case.  

School used to be a fashion event.  “I would wake up hours before the day started just to make sure my looks were on point,” says Dawn Whalen, who was last in school in the 90’s. 

She says, “Wearing sweatpants was essentially social suicide.”

Students used to treat school like a fashion show.  There has been a shift away from that in recent years.  There must be some reason as to why students cannot be bothered to put on real pants for the school day. 

“Sleep is honestly more important than my appearance.  A few more minutes of rest is far more important than a few compliments on a cute outfit,” says Sara Herkey, a Senior at Orchard Park. 

“Most students show up to school in pajamas.  Even sweatpants are considered dressing up,” says Jenna MacFarland, a student at Frontier High School. 

It’s not only in Orchard Park- wearing pajamas to school has been a massive trend across the nation.  From social media to one’s peers, pajamas are seen everywhere at school in comparison to real clothes. 

With the rise of people valuing comfort over cuteness and the increased stress associated with school, teenagers can not be bothered to dress up for school.  If that means rolling out of bed in what one slept in, then that’s what he or she has to do to be comfortable. 

To current students, there is no point in impressing anyone. They are battling enough anxiety with school work.  The last thing anyone is worried about is who was best dressed for the day. 

Fashion is not judged by the same standards for school that it used to be. That’s been a major factor in students putting less effort into their looks. 

“I don’t remember the last time I looked at someone and cared about what they were wearing,” says Sara Herkey. 

“Everyone’s eyes were on you to see what you were wearing the second you walked into school back in the day. If you had a bad outfit, you would never be able to live it down,” says Dawn Whalen.  

School was less demanding of students years ago, and they had more time to worry about what their peers chose to wear.  

The change in outfits for high schoolers can be pinpointed to the fact that students just don’t care the way they used to.  When students are in school, they are there to get done what they have to, and they plainly cannot be bothered to treat school like a fashion show anymore.