Everyone cares about what they wear at least a little bit; unless your mom still buys your clothes, you pay some mind to what you put on yourself. With this effort comes anxiety, will people like what I’m wearing? Will they think I’m copying someone? And then the unthinkable happens: someone asks you, “Didn’t you wear that yesterday?”
This question says more about them than it does you. When they notice what clothes you’re wearing, that shows that they pay attention to what you do. You occupy some space in their mind. Them going out of their way to ask you is an attempt to embarrass you, because for some reason society has deemed outfit repetition shameful.
Why Outfit Remembering is Out
Being an outfit rememberer is out because there are so many better things you could be doing with your energy. It doesn’t take much effort to be an outfit rememberer, but that effort could be put into yourself — hobbies, self-improvement — instead of others. At the end of the day, you can only control what you can do, so spending your energy on what other people are doing is wasteful.
People have so many reasons to repeat outfits, too. They could have just run a wash, so their clothes are clean to wear again. They could find other things more important than their fashion, so wearing an outfit twice in a row doesn’t even cross their mind.
Their favorite style could be a simple outfit that is similar day to day. They could be on a budget, and can’t afford to have an extensive selection of pieces to choose from every day. Clothes weren’t meant to be worn once, so why is it such a big deal when we wear them a couple of days in a row?
Attempting to embarrass others shows your true colors. Singling someone out for something that is inherently innocent but our culture has declared “unacceptable” is unnecessary. It shows that you think their surface-level “mistake” really matters, you are bothered by it, and you assume others care about it just as much as you do.
How You React Matters
If you were a victim of an outfit rememberer previously, you know that you weren’t expecting them to call you out. It is important to know that other peoples’ shallow thoughts about you are not a reflection of your worth. People who try to bring you down are not individuals that you should spend time with, and their opinions should not be valued the same way as those who love and support you.
VALLEY is declaring once and for all: calling out others’ outfit repetitions is insecure, cheap and not hot. Let us know what you think on Instagram @VALLEYmag!
