Online Zoom meetings have become the new normal for many people this year. Something that is questioned before they get on their meetings is what should they wear or if they should even try to dress up for the meeting. For some people, it depends on who or what type of Zoom meeting they are attending.
There are many students that dress up according to what kind of Zoom meeting they are in. For example, biology major, Olivia Pohl said she once “had to dress business casual for a CSL interview.”
However, some students do not care what they wear to their Zoom meetings. They do not feel as much pressure as they did when they would show up to a class or meetings in person. Pohl even went on to say “most of us look the same, no one really sticks out or tries to impress everyone in the room with name-brand, designer clothes, which is really comforting. That was a huge dislike for me in high school,” regarding her recent experience with transitioning to Zoom classes.
When it comes to dressing or looking good for classes, lots of students don’t have the motivation to look a certain way for the classes. Pohl said, “some days I wear jeans and others I wear my normal pajama pants I went to sleep in.”
While most of the days she dresses casually for her Zoom classes, she occasionally likes to add to her outfit. She said, “sometimes I like to do my makeup if I’m having a bad morning. It makes me feel pretty and really helps relax me and get me ready and more prepared for the upcoming class.”
According to Emma Crouch, an integrated marketing communications major, her Zoom fashion consists of just a “decent looking shirt and some leggings.” Numerous other students are just like her in making this clothing choice. They do not feel obligated to wear something specific to their classes unless they are told to by an instructor. Crouch said, that “I dress different for some meetings, like for class I am more professional.” about how she decided to dress for certain Zoom meetings.
Now that students do not have to be physically present they do not have as much to worry about what they wear. Digital information design major, Hateria Goodwin, said, “I do not dress to impress anyone but myself” and that “it truly depends on the day and the occasion.” for whether or not she dresses up for her Zoom meetings. For most meetings, people decide to go with whatever they are wearing at the moment or to dress casually. She also said, “If my class is early in the morning, I’m probably still in pajamas but by the afternoon I have changed to casual clothing.”
Whether it is still being in their pajamas or dressing up, every student has their own mindset about how they should dress for their zoom meetings. Most of the time they are dressing to be comfortable during their classes. Zoom allows them to not be judged by what they wear and to be fun and free with how they dress. Some students may even prefer to learn online just for this reason.
Photo by Emma Crouch
