A couple weeks ago for my best friend's birthday we went out to a restaurant, and she was ecstatic to finally have the chance to wear a brand new, sleek black dress she had ordered from Victoria's Secret. As soon as we entered all eyes were on her, partly because she's blonde and super tan, but probably more so because of the show-stopping dress she was wearing. At first she didn't notice all the attention she was receiving, but after several guys hit on her it became pretty clear. When we left the restaurant, she rolled her eyes and groaned, "Why can't I get dressed up and look nice without having everyone hit on me? I am so sick of people hitting on me. It's annoying! I just want to look nice."
She brought up a valid point. Heidi Klum recently made a similar comment when Instyle asked about her primary motivation when deciding what to wear. She responded that she always dresses her best to look nice for herself and not for the sake of pleasing other people.
For many women this seems to be a recurring theme - fashion and dressing one's best are more about satisfaction and pleasure from their standpoint, rather than impressing some guy. After a long, hectic week when you've been donning nothing but running shorts and a T-shirt because you have been swamped with tests and papers, going out with your girlfriends to dinner or heading out to that party offers a chance to finally dress up. In a way it is a kind of outlet, something special to look forward to on top of whatever social event you're attending. Now you have the time to straighten your hair, take time to put on eye-make up - not just slap on foundation as you run out the door - and you can finally wear that gorgeous dress that has been sitting in your closest all week. Time and time again I have heard from friends that the majority of the nights they go out at college, they are more excited about having the chance to dress up and get ready with their girlfriends than whatever festivities are set to occur that night.
Don't get me wrong, though - there are definitely times when we wear certain clothes to get a guy's attention, but the truth of the matter is, it's not as often as they think it is. In fact, most girls know better than to always dress for a guy's attention. It's pretty rare that a guy will ever remember what you wore, and most definitely don't know the difference between Marc Jacobs and BCBG.
For many women, fashion represents more of a creative medium to express ourselves and dressing our best makes us feel beautiful and confident. So when you see us out, before you whistle or use your best pick up line, stop and think maybe we are wearing this particular dress because we like it and not because we like you.
Kristin's column runs biweekly Fridays. She can be reached at k.ulmer@cavalierdaily.com.
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