Spirit Week is that magical time of year when the boring, ordinary days of the week get doused in orange and black and then Bedazzled like a 10-year-old girl who just discovered rhinestones. The social constraints of The Man are thrown like sparkling sequins to the wind, and only the most absurd of costumes can separate the superfans from the fair-weather. But the average student might not have anything appropriate for each spirit day or even know what they are, and it’s always a shame to see half the school schlepping around in jeans and a t-shirt. So forget what people will think, decide to stand out for a week, and read on for some spirited advice, you soulless, spiritless creature.
Tuesday: Neon Day
Neon Day is a fairly simple theme to pull off. If you have literally any brightly colored shirt, then congratulations, you have the necessary equipment to participate in Day One. If not, then cheer up a bit and get yourself a pack of Skittles. Crack open that bag and whatever color the first Skittle to roll into your hand is, that’s going to be your Neon Day color. And don’t try to be clever by buying those Chocolate Skittles because the joke is on you. They taste terrible. Luckily, almost any store that sells clothes is guaranteed to have at least one shirt that is brightly colored, but if you’re feeling lazy, creative, or creatively lazy, you can always grab any old white shirt and color all over it with markers. If you’re feeling creative in an ironic, hipster way, then go ahead and just write “Ne” on the front of your shirt. You might get extra credit from your chemistry teacher.
Wednesday: Decades Day
Decades Day is a completely different beast compared to the simplicity of Neon Day. It calls for a well-coordinated outfit that is iconic for your respective decade. This day is split up among classes so here’s the breakdown for anyone unaware: Freshmen are 1970s, Sophomores are 80s, Juniors are 60s, and Seniors are 20s.
Seniors should be looking sharp with the 20s being the era of gangsters, flapper girls, Charlie Chaplin, and Jay Gatsby himself. Men commonly wore suit jackets with fedoras, top hats, or trilbies, although the most recognizable fashion trend was the casual, pant-like knickerbockers. Women adopted more masculine clothing choices with a bob haircut to fit under the cloche hats of the time.
The 60s marked the start of the Counterculture and anti-war movement in response to Vietnam with the fashion world seeing the adoption of bell bottoms, tie-dye and paisley and the Nehru jacket. Guys, influenced by the Beatles, rocked the moptop while women adopted both short and long hairstyles, including the beehive.
Sophomores can reuse their neon clothing for the 80s in addition to tightly ripped jeans, leg warmers, leather pants, and shoulder pads. Bonus points for sporting a nasty mullet.
Freshmen should rock the disco look along with platform shoes, bell bottoms, aerobics leotards, and the unforgettable hot pants. Guys can grab an afro wig or use the blonde surfer hair look while girls typically had long hair, sometimes wavy, also known as the “gypsy cut”. But regardless of your decade, always go all out. Nothing looks worse than someone wearing their typical clothes with the addition of brightly colored leg warmers. Although a guy in a leotard is certainly up there.
Thursday: Jersey Day
It’s nearly impossible to mess this one up since chances are that at some point in your life, at least once, you have participated in an athletic team and thus have a shirt with a number on it. This doesn’t have to be a professional player’s jersey or your absolute favorite team. In fact, the older the jersey, the more entertaining it would be. You could wear your jersey from last year, or you could wear your awkwardly small jersey from middle school basketball. If you want to show off some LHS team spirit, you could call up your buddies and have everyone wear their jerseys. If for some reason you don’t have a single jersey, making your own is a perfectly viable option. Just like neon day, grab a white shirt and some markers. Or, if you’re feeling horribly lazy (again) just reuse your neon day shirt and slap a number on the back.
Friday: Spirit Day
Everyone in the school owns something either black or orange. It’s basically as essential to function in the school as your ID card. Even if you don’t truly bleed orange and black, there’s certainly no shortage of opportunities to get a free shirt. But let’s say, hypothetically speaking, you have recently been the victim of a tragic robbery in which everything black and/or orange that you own was stolen. Well, luckily there’s a magic land you pass by every day called the Spirit Store that is conveniently located right next to the main entrance. One visit and you will be more orange than half the school before a dance. The more unconventionally black and orange you are, the better. Sure, you could just wear an orange t-shirt and black shorts. Or you could wear a neon orange jumpsuit painted with black stripes and a Wildcats flag. It may sound ridiculous on paper, but you will always stop to look at that one kid and you will certainly never forget his or her face.
Make sure to savor each Spirit Week day because there are only so many that you will ever be a part of. When else could you get away with wearing a leotard?
Image courtesy of mojosavings.com