I am sending an APB on all girls dressed in mesh tops, micro minis, imitation jersey dresses and any apparel that is supposed to be worn as an undergarment. If you are a size 10 squeezing into your roommate’s size five dress, I’m talking to you. If you can be mistaken as an extra for The Player’s Club, I’m definitely talking to you!
As I walk down the strip or venture into the union on any given day, I am disturbed by the barrage of scantily clad girls that I see that are suppose to represent Southern University.
This is not something new to SU, each semester some girls chose to wear their designated club outfits to school. It used to be more prevalent on “Pretty Wednesdays” but today it seems that the new breed of female students are expanding their repertoire to five days a week.
When you get to college, you don’t have a parental figure telling you what you can or cannot wear. This is what separates the ladies from the girls. Ladies know when it’s appropriate to wear certain apparel whether or not it is the latest fashion craze or fad. Just the same way you have clothes that you wear to church; you should have the same for school and the club.
There isn’t a school dress code but ladies, let’s use some common sense!
Not only does the way you dress distract the majority of the male population on campus whose hormones are racing 24/7, but it also distracts instructors who are trying to teach class and females like me who often stop and wonder, “What the hell does she have on?” Dressing inappropriately allows others to attach negative connotations to your image and it also brings unwanted solicitation from guys who can hurt you.
I have heard guys on countless occasions say, “she looked like she wanted it because of the way she was dressed” and “well she was dressed like a whore so I thought she was easy.”
The way you dressed doesn’t give anyone the right to make you do anything you don’t want to do but as females we can cut down on 75 percent of the problems we face if we present ourselves in a proper manner.
I have heard lots of girls say, “I don’t care what people think about me. I can wear whatever I want.” Despite how confident you are about your appearance, image is everything. The way others perceive you is how you get that internship, job, or whatever you set forth to pursue.
Ladies we must remember that we aren’t going to Upscale when we step on this campus. Southern University is a place for higher learning. You never know when you will come in contact with a high ranking university official, local politician or any other dignitary. They may not be visible to you but trust me, they are watching you.
My message is not directed to all females just the ones who take their style and originality too far. There is a time and a place for everything.
You don’t have to be in an organization to dress in business or casual attire. What matters the most is that you are comfortable and able to be a productive student in the classroom. There is no way that you can be comfortable tugging at a shirt or a skirt all day or trying to make it up three flights of stairs in a five-inch pair of cheap strappy sandals tied up your leg.
My mother always said, “Dress for the job you one day want and not for the job you already have.” It is time for us as young ladies to stop dressing like we are auditioning for a rap video and start presenting ourselves as the future movers and shakers of the world.
