As a senior female going into her final semester at BYU-Hawaii, the first day of school presents a tough decision for me: make a last ditch effort to get married with a Pinterest-perfect outfit, or dress how I want- in sweatpants. This year I sat down with women in the same boat, figuring out the outfit that could make or break their image, dating life, “basically everything,” according to Alison Reece, a sophomore in hospitality and tourism management from Utah. “The important thing is looking good without trying too hard and taking advantage of the nice weather,” said Reece, a recently returned missionary who served in the Ukraine Donetsk Mission. On the first day of school, Reece opted for a flowy, feminine shirt and shorts, “because it’s January and we can get away with it.” The RM laughingly said she wore the shorts with pride since the rest of her family lives in Utah where, Reece analogized, the weather is like “Frozen” before Elsa could control her powers. “I had to wear my sandals because it’s January and well, I can,” said Reece, laughing to herself and looking out toward the warm sunshine.While Reece bragged about her sun-warmed shins to her family through Snapchat, for other women, getting ready for the first day of school was inspired by celebrities rather than bragging rights.“I Googled pictures of my fashion idol, Taylor Swift, for my first day of school outfit. She’s an icon and always looks great,” said Rina Tafua, a senior in university studies from California. “Her secret to looking good? Black sunglasses and a red lip. Boom! First day of school perfection.”Though iconic, the Swift-Tafua red lipstick didn’t fly for some BYUH women who opted for less glam and more spam. Armed with a musubi in hand, Amanda Winger, a junior in elementary education from Canada, lounged in the Seasider in sweatpants and a black BYUH basketball shirt. “Listen,” she said before taking a bite of spam musubi, “I’ve been here six semesters already, and no one really cares what you wear. Why dress up fancy on the first day of school? No one’s gonna keep that up, so we all might as well drop the pretense and wear what we want, and we all know it’s about the sweatpants, baby.” A table of freshmen girls smiled and nodded as Winger lifted her sweatpant-sheathed leg onto the table and showcased it with outstretched arms.Whether in sweats, in Swift, or in sunshine swag, the first day of school gives students the opportunity to start the semester how they want, and while that first outfit might seem like the make-or-break moment for a chance to get married, all Winger can say is, “I’m already engaged.”Uploaded January 21, 2015
Writer: Alyssa Walhood~ Multimedia Journalist
