oh help. skinny jeans.

I had to go shopping for some grown-up clothes yesterday because I am meeting with some professors at B.U. on Monday and apparently when you meet the eminent and highly published people you're going to be working with for the next five years, you can't just breeze in wearing jeans, a hoodie, and your ratty old Chuck Taylors.

Usually I like shopping. Whenever the seasons change, I enjoy going to pick out a couple of new items of seasonally-appropriate clothing. I enjoy going out for fun sometimes and poking around, ogling things I can't afford and telling myself that I don't need any more boxer shorts or kitchenware. What I really HATE is going shopping for an outfit when I have to. This occasionally happens--a formal event comes up, or I need to look less rumpled for some other damn reason, and I have to go find something presentable to wear. (I realize that on the list of tribulations, not enjoying finding a new outfit is under the "shallow and pathetic" section, but it feels good to rant) It's my own fault, too, because I always put it off until the last minute, and then I'm twice as stressed about it because I have one day to find something.

It's also difficult for me to find grown-up clothing because I am the opposite of girly. I wear a lot of men's clothing because feminine clothes make me incredibly uncomfortable, and a lot of men's clothing is becoming more and more androgynous, which works out well for me. If you want to see me miserable, put me in a skirt. It's not that I don't like my body--I actually think it's quite nice--but it's what stupid magazines like Cosmo call "athletic,"--i.e. boyish, fairly muscular, and not so many curves. Yes, it also probably has to do with "the gay," but really my body just happens to look better in extra-small men's clothing a lot of the time. Which is great, but not when you need to make a good first impression.

So yesterday was shopping-freakout day. I went to five or six different stores in Center City and didn't find anything, and then ended up pacing around the GAP for an hour, intermittently calling my mom and being all "but I can't find anything to weeeeaaaaaaarrrrrrr." It was not good. Fortunately, I did end up finding some clothes. I got a pair of skinny jeans, because if I'm at least wearing jeans, I'm still in my comfort zone (plus they make my butt look great). I also got a very nice black button-down shirt (if you say "blouse" I will poke you in the eye), and I already have a spiffy gray blazer to wear.  SUCCESS! Except for shoes. I still don't have shoes, and there is no way I can get away with just wearing my Chucks. But I'm sure I'll figure it out.

MOOOOMMMMMM!!!!