Letter to the Editor: Kindness should supersede style

By Alex Hayes     11/19/14 1:57am

Last week, the Thresher featured a piece titled, “You are what you wear, whether you like it or not,” which encouraged students to dress nicely in the name of boosting self-esteem. Mentioning that the way we think we look impacts our self-esteem and confidence, the article pushed for an elevated state of dress.

If dressing up makes you feel good, please, I encourage you to do so. But we could just as easily take more time to tell one another that we look great. Psychologically, this has the same effect as dressing nicely, with an added bonus of promoting kindness. At the same time, it avoids a culture of fanciness, which can descend into a culture of judgment, the underdressed being perpetually uncomfortable.

Rice is our home. I believe this should be a safe place for us, a place where we can be sloppy and lazy and still feel good about ourselves. If we chose to verbally appreciate how others look, we can foster this kind of environment. Personally, I support this option, because I don’t think we should judge people for wanting 10 more minutes of sleep in the morning. Mornings are rough.

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Alex Hayes, Baker College, class of 2018

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