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You pick up a shirt in your closet, look at it and throw it back into a drawer, convinced you could never wear something so loud and daring. Chances are, this is an experience most of us have had at one point or another. The shirt sits there indefinitely, dreaming of being worn the same way you dream of wearing it.

Know that I’m not judging you, but sympathizing. Trust me – there was once a time when all of the shirts I deemed “too much” were banished to a drawer in the back of my closet, never to see the light of day.

It wasn’t that I didn’t love these shirts. On the contrary, I revered them. It pained me to leave them sitting behind as I wore the same few outfits day after day. I could never wear such a bold shirt like this to class, to the supermarket or the post office. I certainly wasn’t cool enough to, or at least that’s what I thought. I held out hope that eventually an opportunity would arise where the shirts would be socially acceptable to wear, and I’d be able to without anyone batting an eye.

Unfortunately, this opportunity never came.

I’d wear the same few outfits on repeat – sweats, plain long sleeves and hoodies, sometimes the occasional graphic t-shirt – while silently daydreaming about the colorful outfits I’d wear if I had the confidence.

I’d see girls around campus wearing fun outfits that were so unique, and I would watch in awe as they did so with seemingly no fear.

It wasn’t until the first semester of my junior year that I received a serious wake-up call. On the first day of classes, a girl wearing a fabulous outfit sat down right next to me. I smiled at her and raved about how cool she looked for a solid five minutes.

I told her that I wished I could dress half as cool as she did, to which she plainly and simply asked what was stopping me.

It seemed in an instant that a switch was flipped because she was right. There really was nothing stopping me other than my own fear. I couldn’t believe I had let the clothes I loved so much wither away for so long. I swore to myself I’d never let them sit in a drawer again.

I never looked back after that day. I stopped waiting around for hypothetical “opportunities” to wear what I wanted and instead treated every day like it was an opportunity.

This fear of being loud and proud runs deeper than just clothing. It’s everywhere, permeating every part of our lives. Homes full of charm, quirk and color are being stripped down to cookie-cutter houses with white walls and beige decor. Stores that were once funky and unique are slowly but surely falling victim to Arial logos and sleek design. Everyone is so obsessed with blending in and looking like everyone else.

It seems the world is scared of creativity, of uniqueness and even color.

It’s scary to take that leap and be different from everyone around you. Standing out is always daunting, but the only thing scarier is ignoring the desire to be yourself and letting your true colors fade into oblivion because you refused to try.

My advice to you is to grab that shirt that you have stored away and wear it. Stand out and don’t care so much about what the people around you might think. Stop catering to what the masses deem to be acceptable. You’ll be much happier that way – I know I certainly am.

Gracie Lebersfeld is a senior majoring in selected studies in education and creative writing. She can be reached at gmlebers@syr.edu

Published on February 8, 2026 at 9:12 pm