Why Not To Buy The Converse: A Letter To My Fall Quarter Self
Dear Fall Quarter Sam,
I promise you, you don’t need to buy the Converse. Even though it feels like everyone you know is wearing them, it's really just the two people that you interact with constantly. I know the feeling is strangely intense, but one thing you haven’t quite figured out yet is that college is not just advanced high school.
Here’s what you haven’t realized: despite being near a major city, Northwestern totally exists in a bubble. And as a freshman only three weeks into school, you’re only interacting with a sliver of the student body. It's a bubble within a bubble. I promise — the only people wearing those platform Converse are that one girl you sit next to in Econ 201, or the one who’s always at Allison at the same time you are. The pressure to conform can feel very real, and I don’t blame you for wanting to buy the shoes.
But for future reference, whenever you’re feeling that you HAVE to HAVE that new piece you feel like everyone is wearing, here’s a little list from you to you :)
I know right now it feels like they go with absolutely everything, but are they actually your style? Or are you just trying to make them your style? Unlike the heels you begged Mom to borrow for months, or the perfect leather jacket you endlessly searched to thrift, the shoes won’t distinctly represent you in the same way. While you’re definitely thinking right now you are going to wear them, like, every day, let me tell you what will actually happen. You’ll wear them a couple times (getting horrible blisters in the process) and then they’ll sit in the back of your closet. Until every once in a while you’ll see them among your other shoes and feel bad you don't wear them that much, but you still won’t know exactly how to style them so they feel like you.
Think about your dorm — you really don't have the space for this!!! Space is limited and so now is the time to be thinking more critically about the things you buy, NOT LESS!
While you might be able to get the shoes, that privilege isn't universal. You buying the shoes could even unknowingly ostracize those who can’t get the shoes themselves for a multitude of reasons. While this time it may be shoes, next time it could be a skirt, or a jacket, or even freaking socks. And remember, not all clothing items are size inclusive, and adhering to trends isn’t an option for everybody — these companies don’t always cater to all bodies.
One final note: you succumbing to peer pressure makes you complicit in doing the same to others. You trying to fit in just reinforces some status quo, when instead you could be opening up the space for something new and more exciting.
So yeah, you’ll buy the Converse. But hopefully you’ll learn the lesson too.
Love,
Winter Quarter Sam <3