BLOG: Making it work
Fashion oblivion: a tale of a freshman wannabe
By Aimee Rancer, Blogger
November 7, 2007 | 10:17 p.m.
It was an uncomfortable 80-degree day in August as my parents drove my belongings and me to my new life in Athens.
I nervously looked out the window at the landscape of Ohio University. The promise of new experiences excited me, as they were something I could not get back home. That meant new people, new places and new memories.
During high school, I was, as they say, a “goody two shoes.” In order to help me become a bit more adventurous, my friends dragged me out to my first college party that evening. My roommate and I spent a few hours getting ready, putting on dramatic eye makeup and attempting to find the perfect top, one that to make us look and feel a bit older than we actually were. Dressed to the nines, I strutted my way across campus in a pair of killer black stilettos. This was my first mistake as a freshman- wearing heels in Athens. My friends and I climbed Jefferson Hill, and walked up to Court Street with hopes of finding some party to attend. But overcoming Jeff Hill wasn’t the only obstacle we had to face; arriving at the actual party was an adventure in itself.
My friends and I timidly crept through the fraternity doorway, into the basement inhabited by beer pong tables and sweaty, inebriated bodies. As T-Pain’s “Bartender” blared in the background, we formed a circle and talked amongst ourselves, trying unsuccessfully to not draw any attention to ourselves.
“Uh, are you guys freshmen?” asked a bearded frat boy.
“How old do we look?” I asked suavely, desperately trying to sound cool.
“Well, since you guys are holding your ID cards and keys in your hands and not socializing, yeah... you girls are freshmen. Besides, you look like you’re 14.”
Major buzz kill.
Here I thought I was looking good, a new college student ready to take the world (or at least Athens) by storm. All those dreams were shattered once I heard that phrase- “You look like a freshman.”
After the “frat incident,” I trudged our way back down Jeff Hill for the fifth time that night, heels still miraculously intact. Jokingly, I told my friends that the only satisfying part was that my feet still looked good. The joke stopped being funny once I took off my black stilettos, revealing an array of unusual red blisters, my feet taking revenge on me for all the pain I put them through.
That night, I made an internal promise that I never would wear those heels again nor put myself through that once more. Yet, next weekend found me out again, cramming my blistered toes into my black heels, hoping to god I wouldn’t get called a freshman. Or get more blisters. Anything for the sake of beauty, right?
However, I know I'm not alone in my fashion mistakes, so I asked several OU students what their most regrettable fashion decisions have been while in Athens. Here?'s what they had
to say:
"Crocs. And they are the big, extra terrain crocs. I wear them in the shower and around sometimes." -- Nick Sanfellipo, Freshman
"I was really late for work and was doing laundry until 4 in the morning. I was running from South Green up on Morton Hill while people were laughing at me. But I had a baseball cap on so I didn?t think anything of it until I got to work and my boss was like, 'Nice backpack,' and my ugly, grandma bra was hanging out!" -- Megan Mitllow, Sophomore
"My lack of fashion. Feeling it unnecessary to dress up. Period." -- Tory Tedrow, Freshman
"My closest thing was when I was too lazy to do laundry, so for two days, the only clean socks I had were these bright red Cleveland Indians socks my grandma gave me for Christmas when I was like 10." -- Mike Keister, Freshman
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