This past summer, my family and I packed our bags and took a trip to Europe. The first city that we visited was Milan, Italy, a place that many call the fashion capital of the world. There, I was given a glimpse into the outrageous styles and vibrant colors that Europeans are famous for. What I saw changed my outlook on style forever.

Before the trip, my usual outfit consisted  of a sweatshirt, sweatpants and a Nike T-shirt. And I rocked it, trust me. My view on clothing was comfort over looks. There isn’t anything wrong with that outfit; quite the opposite. People should wear clothes that they feel good in and dress however they want.

But Milan inspired me. I had already noticed some of my classmates starting to wear nicer clothes to school, swapping out the Nike T-shirt for a button down or the athletic shorts for above-knee shorts in every color of the rainbow. I soon started to buy some of these clothes, and it definitely got me some attention.

The most common comment that I got by far was that I now looked “super frat.” At the time, I had no idea what that meant, so like any person who needs an answer, I Googled it. Dressing like a member of a fraternity is, according to Urban Dictionary, defined as “a male, often a part of a fraternity, that dresses in a polo or button down shirt, above-knee shorts, and boating shoes.” I suddenly fit that stereotype, but I really didn’t care.

Most people assume that if a person is dressed up for school that he or she is automatically trying to impress somebody. I don’t agree with that at all.  The way that a person dresses themself says a lot about him.

While impressing that girl in your third block class might be fantastic, many  people do  dress up for themselves. Taking pride in their appearance may just be how they express themselves. Looking good has a direct correlation with feeling good, and this greatly increases a person’s confidence.

For  example, a study done by Columbia University states that putting on semi-formal clothes activates receptors in our brains, making us more alert as well as confident. The study says that when a person is dressed in comfortable clothes, his or her brain relaxes. This can be hazardous during classes, because being alert during a class can be the difference between an “A” or a “C”.

The age-old expression “never judge a book by its cover” is false. A person is judged by how they look. It may be wrong; however, it is true. People don’t mean to make this judgment. It is simply years of social conditioning taking over.

Our clothes do a lot for us. It wouldn’t hurt to dress up once in awhile, just for the heck of it. Because who knows? Maybe it’ll give you the courage to battle through a rough Monday, or give you the extra boost needed to finally ace that math test.