I hate pants.

When I transferred from a very conservative Christian school to a public high school and realized I had freedom over what I wore, I dedicated one day a week to not wearing them.

I wore skirts and shorts and pajamas and sweats and leggings and gauchos, pretty much anything that was not jeans or slacks.

When I got to college, my mother, who had also gone to a conservative Christian school asked me to wear jeans on the first day in remembrance of her first chance to select her own wardrobe.

I love college, mostly because I don’t have to wear pants.

In a public university, there really isn’t a dress code and I love that. I’ve worn some ridiculous things to class, some things I probably would never wear again. I’ve also noted some ridiculous outfits around me but I am so grateful for the freedom to be comfortable in my fashion faux paus.

As a woman, there is a lot of talk, especially at conservative schools about how one should or should not dress, how not to tempt boys. It makes me grateful for the men on campus who realize I’m not wearing my clothes for them.

However, it also makes me realize, there are still people out there who believe they have say in what I wear, who think that if I wear a short dress out in public on a hot day, I’m asking for the wrong kind of attention.

No, I was just hot and didn’t feel like wearing pants. My choice to wear a deep v-neck shirt is just as much my decision, based on my comfort level as it is another girl’s to wear a belly baring top.

If a guy wears a deep v-neck or short shorts, people may think his fashion is a little odd but no one sexualizes him. So really, how does anyone have any business sexualizing a girl for wearing the same thing?

As I’ve grown older and become a more public figure, I tend to wear more classy outfits but I wouldn’t have gotten here if I hadn’t tried many other choices.  

College is one of the only places you can explore what you do and do not like to wear without truly impacting your career.

So go on, wear that top that may be too risqué for dinner with your parents and if you’re really brave, try a day without pants.