We know it’s not flattering. We know it’s not stylish. We know we all look alike. Yet we continue to wear it: the sorority girl uniform. It’s the combination of an extra-large t-shirt, Nike shorts and some neon sneakers. We all know it well, and we all get a lot of grief for wearing it.

I still remember the first day I saw it. It was a hot June in 2011, when I was a wide-eyed freshman arriving on campus for Bama Bound. I started noticing girls in t-shirts that could double as dresses walking with their friends; girls also wearing unflattering large shirts that made you wonder if they even had pants on. I was mortified. I explicitly remember telling my mom, “I will NEVER wear that.” Fast-forward to August and I had already made my first trip to the store to buy 5 new pairs of Nike shorts. 

Call me a conformist if you will, but I’m here to say that the practicality, comfort and ease of throwing on a big t-shirt and stretchy athletic shorts for class beats anyone’s negative opinion about it. These four years of college are the time to take advantage of being comfortable and frankly, lazy, in the way we dress. We have the rest of our adult lives to suit up and look professional. Take advantage now. After interning this summer and having to dress up every day, I definitely cannot wait to get back into my super-roomy t-shirts. Wearing a blazer in 90-degree weather just doesn’t have the same appeal as a loose-fitting frocket that catches the breeze and doesn’t hug on your skin. Pumps will never match sneakers in comfort, no matter how many Band-Aids or gel inserts you wear.

My fellow sorority ladies will understand: there is no better feeling than tearing through the plastic to your new Comfort Colors tee, admiring the artwork and intricacy of the design showing off your latest date party or swap. If you have the t-shirt, it doesn’t matter if you actually went to (or remember) the party. The t-shirt is all you need. 

So ladies, take advantage of the excitement that comes with getting a new t-shirt and the ease of throwing on your Nike shorts. Come graduation, the “uniform” is strictly for the gym or lounging at home. Once you’re an alumna, wearing your letters every day just looks like you’re trying too hard to relive the glory days. You have so much life ahead of you and so many fashionable clothes you can buy now (that you can afford too, with that fancy new job of yours) that the t-shirts should be kept in the drawer. So with one year of college left, you can be assured that you will see me strutting my stuff in my too-big t-shirt, Nike shorts and sneakers, all day, every day.