I personally love dressing up for Spirit Week, but it wasn’t until this year that I felt comfortable doing it. While I love it now, I can see why some people don’t.

The grade that I see dressing up the least is freshman, which is understandable once you talk to one of them. It’s easy to get caught up in what everyone else is doing, especially at a new school. People just want to fit in and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Freshman year, I wanted to dress up and had a bunch of ideas, but none of my friends or classmates really did it so I just scrapped it. The one day that I did dress up, barely anyone in my grade did and I felt self-conscious.

As an underclassman, you’re still trying to figure out how you want to present yourself to your new classmates. If i’m a freshman and I show up on Tacky Tourist day wearing socks and sandals, a hat and a Hawaiian shirt, I’ll definitely fit the theme. But if nobody else in my grade does it, I risk being called “extra” and being made fun of simply for participating. Frankly, that’s nerve-wracking.

People shouldn’t be worried to dress up, but at the same time, if they don’t want to, they shouldn’t feel pressured to. Some people don’t want attention called to them and that’s okay. Sometimes, it’s a matter of just not wanting to put in effort, which is also justifiable.

Coming up with something to wear for Spirit Week can take time and thinking and some people just don’t want to do that. I may be lucky enough to have a jersey and puka shell necklace at home, but going out of your way to get things for Spirit Week can be discouraging.

Aside from just not wanting to dress up, getting an outfit for every themed day can be expensive. If someone doesn’t own an expansive or colorful wardrobe, spirit day can be an expensive and unnecessary event to plan for. Not everybody has the money or the transportation to go out and buy accessories or shirts to go with the spirit week days. It’s not always a matter of spirit and if that is their situation, it’s wrong to shame them for not dressing up.

The weekend before Spirit Week, my friend and I went to Target and Walmart and still couldn’t find some of things we were looking for. We decided to work with what we had, but it can be frustrating.

It all depends on the person. You should dress up if you want to, regardless of who in your grade is and how far they’re willing to go. On the other hand, some people just don’t want to and that’s okay. In the long run, it doesn’t impact anyone but yourself whether or not you dress up.