What is your frequently asked question (FAQ)?

Come on. Everyone has at least one of them. A question that every day follows them through the hallways at school, onto the streets, at family gatherings, and everywhere in between.

A question that could hold no significant value whatsoever or it could be something that defines who you are as a human being.

Where are you from? Is that your natural hair color? How do you pronounce your name?

My FAQ? Why do you try to look good every single day?

First of all, I’ll admit to it, yes, I enjoy looking good every single day. My hair is done, I have makeup on my face and from head to toe I look generally put together and what some might call ‘cute.’

So, the answer to my FAQ? It simply makes me feel confident.

There’s a sort of stigma around girls like me who dress up for school each day. That these types of girls are stuck up, think they are better than everyone else and care too much. Just because I decide each morning to put in a little bit more effort to get ready, does not mean I am any of these things. I actually believe I am quite opposite of these things. I want to look approachable and empathetic.

I’m here today to end this stigma. Everyone has something that makes them feel confident. Everyone has something that makes them feel good about themselves. Find what makes you feel best about yourself and do it each and every single day.

For me, I feel best about myself when I am strutting the hallways with a jumpsuit, heels and some lipstick. I carry myself in such a way that makes me feel like I can conquer the world.

Despite what is going on in my life, if I can decide to put on a pair of jeans instead of sweats, I will do it because for me, that’s sometimes what pushes me through the day. My day might be bad, but at least my outfit is cute. I think to myself, maybe if I look good, I’ll give off the impression that I have my life together.

While some hold conspiracies and superstitions to be true, I hold this to be true for myself: a good outfit = a good day.

Listen, this is something I’ve been doing since middle school, yet you would not believe how many people stop to ask me this question every day. People who are close to me and others that I’ve never talked to in my entire life. Often the same exact people will pose the question multiple times a week.

“How do you do it?”

Well it’s actually quite simple, the night before I pick out my outfit. It takes literally five minutes. I am not a morning person no matter how hard I try. Picking out my outfit the night before is just a part of my night routine. It’s also something I love. Fashion is something that makes me happy. It is a way of expressing myself every day no matter how I’m feeling. Often times my outfits match my mood. This means that sometimes I’m not always dressed up, that’s when the questions roll in.

“Are you OK?”

That’s how I know that dressing up is just part of who I am. It’s a piece of me, a way that people distinguish me, it’s a reflection of my character and personality.

All in all, will this column end my FAQ? Of course not. People will still ask me why I try to look good every day as long as I keep doing it, and I don’t plan on quitting.