By Pat Glenn ’16

Does it bother you that everyone and their mother seems to wear a vest to school?  No matter where I turn in this place I see at least a handful of people in a group sporting a vest. In fact, as I sit in class at this very moment writing this column, I see 5 out of 20 people wearing a vest. Here I am, sitting befuddled by the fact that a quarter of the class is wearing the same article of clothing. My head spirals out of control with questions. Who is the one that started this trend? Why do we all follow this trend? When did we all start to dress like Marty McFly?

I understand the purpose of wearing vests on the way to school as well as upon exiting the building — fall is well under way — but I do not understand the purpose of keeping the vest on all day. Since the school is at times a sauna (which warrants a DIBY in its own right) I do not understand why so many people decide to stick with the vest the entire day. There is simply no logical reason why vests do not spend the majority of their time in a locker.

Since we’ve ruled out the warmth claim, let’s examine the other argument: style. Now vests may do wonders for girls trying to add a tad more flair to their leggings-sweater combo, but I refuse to believe that they complement an outfit so much that they necessitate a daily or semi-daily wear. I mean c’mon now, show some variety, ladies (and gentlemen).

Don’t think you’re getting away with your vest usage either though, guys. Far too many times I have seen a dude walk through the halls with a sweat suit and a vest. First of all, the sweatshirt should take care of warmth, so that excuse can be thrown out the window, and secondly, that vest is not saving the outfit. So please don’t think the vest is some kind of savior. If you’re slumming but have a vest on, you’re still slumming, my friend.

Allow me to change my tune a little bit: I do not want to come across as abrasive and overly judgemental. I certainly do not want all of you to be reading this and say, ““Hey! This guy hates the way we all dress!” Far from it: in fact, I possess a few vests of my own (worn sparingly). The problem is not that we all slip on a vest from time to time. The problem is that we all appear to wear the SAME EXACT things.

This vest-crazy society is a reflection of our tendency to conform and follow the leader. We all have to take a step back and realize that we are individuals, and while going with the pack is appealing, we must be willing to explore our own identity. That not only goes for fashion, but with most things in life. I’m not trying to get too philosophical on you guys, I’m just saying there must be some room for creativity and personal panache.

We all need to start to express our individuality and not wear something simply because someone else did. So let’s all vow to put a little more effort in our school attire, and not settle for going with the crowd and conforming to societal trends. Break from the mold and be bold (I should copyright that).