Red High Heels

I've never been the tallest of my friends; I've never been the shortest. I've been average height, which has deterred me from really wanting to wear heels. Why? Because, I tell myself, I'll stand out as too tall, look abnormal, any other excuses. And my not wearing heels often can be equated to my spending my first few years of college not wanting to dress up to the way I could have and should have.

Me (in the maroon jersey not in front) and some friends. If they weren't sorority squatting I'd not look like I'm that tall. Promise.

I wanted to be lazy and be comfortable. My friends have joked for years about my t-shirt and jeans wearing habits, and it's not a joke because I literally have a billion t-shirts that I like to rotate. But also, when you get busy, your looking your best, at least for me, was sacrificed for years. From high school and into college, I let the fashionista in me hide.

I wish I woulda known that dressing well equals feeling great. Not that I didn't feel great in my t-shirt and jeans, but I've realized, especially since having internships where I have to dress up nicely, that looking good, professional, put together, and, yes, super hot, means that you will feel better than you ever thought.

This is not my way of saying that I'm fashion forward - cause I'm not. Like really. I'm not. I won't even share a picture because it's embarrassing.

I still very much being simple and comfortable. But this year I've started to come to terms with the fact that I can dress well sometimes and I can look good. I mean reallllll good. I used to never get dressed nicely for class, but this year I put in a little more effort.

It's been a New Year's resolution of mine for two years now to abandon my t-shirt ways and dress better, and it's slowly and surely coming to a reality. I now wear heels to some events (not to class, but I think it might happen sooner rather than later). I wear dresses and skirts and nice shirts, and pair things I used to be afraid to pair together. And I look good (you can ask my friends or boyfriend) and I feel good. I feel successful and like a soon-to-be college graduate should feel like.

This lesson can be permeated throughout life. When you take care of yourself and look your best, you will be able to be your best in every aspect. Now, I shower everyday and I know some people do not, but being clean and smelling nice can make all the difference in an interview sometimes. One of the women who works in my office for my internship now is so precious and dresses so well and always smells nice that when she interviewed me I wanted to work there so her fashion sense could rub off on me. That might be opposite of what I was trying to explain (aka dressing beyond par could help you stick out in someone's mind and help get you hired), but alas I think I made my point.

And looking good doesn't mean buying every expensive piece of clothing in the world. Forever21, H&M, Macys, hell, anywhere that's not a designer store has great deals where you can find cute clothes for not too much money. If you're looking for certain things and where to buy them, follow a fashion blog and I'm sure you'll find where to buy whatever you need.

The important thing to remember is - sometimes, you need to pull out your red high heels (or whatever the equivalent is in boy-world), put on a sexy dress, and strut your stuff. Not only will that get you noticed, in hopefully the right (and ok, maybe the wrong) ways, but it will also help you notice yourself and help you remember the confident attitude you exude while lookin' hot.

Always,
Caroline