BY: MEGHAN BAEHL, OPINION EDITOR
I should preface that I do not like my legs to be cold. It is one of my biggest pet peeves; something that keeps me up at night. Well, not actually because I sleep with about four blankets. But I digress. I am all for fall fashion- the colors, the comfort. I love layers and security in my clothes. Which is why I hate ripped jeans. This is not to say I have never worn them, but I only did so for scientific research purposes. You cannot claim to hate something without trying it first, after all. My hatred for ripped jeans stems long before my Bonaventure days, back to when I was in private school and I was not allowed to wear them on out-of-uniform days. I also was indoctrinated at a young age that ripped jeans look sloppy. That belief was ingrained from the aforementioned schooling as well as grandparents who made the joke
“Did you pay less for your jeans to have rips?” It is not that bad of a joke, but I still despise it. Additionally, the jeans at Justice were always more expensive when they had rips. As a child of the 2008 recession, my mama was sewing patches onto my holey jeans when I ripped them. Just because they are holey, does not mean they are with the Lord.
I think I was exposed to ripped jeans too late. Like the way that if you have peanut butter too late in your childhood you have a sensitivity to it. I remember not wearing them in high school, even though it was allowed. My school always kept everything ten degrees too cold. As you know, I hate having my legs cold.
I believe that ripped jeans are a bit weather confusing. The rips provide airflow, which makes them breathable I suppose, but for what weather circumstance? This brings me back to fall fashion. I know Western New York weather is unpredictable but you can always count on a breeze. Rips in jeans leave big chunks of the leg exposed to the aforementioned breeze. So how is someone supposed to be comfortable? I understand fashion over functionality but not when it comes to sacrificing the warmth of my legs. I am all for tiny tops, but those must be supplemented with big, rip-less jeans. You know, for practical and warmth purposes.
All of this has me thinking about what is the ideal weather for ripped jeans. The only season that comes to mind is spring, but Western-New Yorkers and Midwesterners know damn well that it simply does not exist. I’m being slightly dramatic, but the actual season of spring only lasts a few weeks before it becomes blazing hot or snows again. So I guess my issue is that they are simply not practical. “But Meghan, you wear impractical clothes all the time”. I know but I am unmovable on this. I hate ripped jeans and that is that.
