Fall in Colorado, where I am from, begins as early as the middle of September. Snowy clouds start sneaking down from the mountains, temperatures and leaves start dropping and I start running out of tea.
I’ve always loved fall not only because it’s a precursor to the holiday season but also because it means crisp autumn air and crunchy leaves all over the sidewalk. It means Sunday night football and cozy days inside. Plus, it means pulling out jeans, sweaters and — most importantly — hoodies.
There are few things in life that bring me as much joy as a good hoodie.
There’s something calming about the way a hoodie feels. It’s as soft as a blanket on the inside, and it hugs you — but not too tight. It just rests on your shoulders, a little fabric-shaped reminder that everything is going to be OK.
Because hoodies are so soft and comfortable, they give the wearer feelings of safety and security, which can help them to be calm, especially when experiencing anxiety, according to Optimist Minds.
I have found, after a long and stressful day, nothing boosts my mood more than discarding whatever outfit I have put together and trading it out for some sweatpants and a hoodie or crew neck.
None of this is to say that there is no value in dressing up or wearing clothing that is fit for the occasion. After all, what a person wears does influence how others perceive them, and it can also positively or negatively impact work performance, according to Scientific American.
Even so, my “put-together outfits” often include a well-chosen hoodie because I still strongly believe that comfort is just as important as style. And besides, hoodies can be stylish.
When I first moved to California, I always felt self-conscious about what I was wearing. It seemed like everyone around me was both incredibly beautiful and remarkably stylish. If I wasn’t wearing an $80 crop top or pristine Air Force 1s, I clearly didn’t belong.
I experienced several instances in which a Californian asked me where I was from, and I could tell it was because my clothing was different from theirs.
The result was that I started feeling guilty for wearing comfortable clothes and, at the same time, stressed that I couldn’t afford more “fashionable” ones. Putting on a hoodie felt like stylistic cheating.
Soon, however, I realized that clothing choices are just that: choices. There are very few right or wrong decisions when it comes to style as long as a person is wearing something that makes them happy.
Hoodies make me happy.
What I love about my sweatshirts is the fact that I’ve collected them over time from various friends, events and places that I’ve traveled. Every time I put one on, it comes with a memory, and that alone is enough to make me want to wear it.
My navy blue hoodie reminds me of home because of the Colorado flag printed on the front. The gray one reminds me of one of my closest friends because his sister gave it to me. I love the pink one too because I wore it so much last year that I associate it with my favorite memories from the fall semester.
Fall in California shows up a little later than it does in Colorado, and it looks a bit different — there isn’t any snow, and it’s much windier.
But I’ve learned to look forward to the freezing wind because the colder weather means more excuses to wear something that genuinely makes me calmer and happier — and that’s something we should all do a little more often.
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Contact Aubrey Hirsch via email: aubrey.hirsch@pepperdine.edu or by Instagram @aubrey.r.hirsch
