Mariah Edmonds-Guridy (285)

‘Tis the season of dead trees and runny noses. Amidst all the harsh winds of the upcoming winter, a small group of individuals make their moves out of the early night shadows. This group of people are your average winter shorts wearers. You’ve seen them before. Those people who insist on wearing neon Nike shorts in 30-degree weather because they insist on their mother’s grave, “It’s not that cold.” I went out of my way to find out how our school community feels about these short-wearers.

I created a survey and questioned over 80 students about the reasonability of this fashion choice. I started by asking the participants what time of year they decided to whip out their shorts. The majority, 60.2%, said that they preferred the beginning of summer, around May and June, to start shorts season. 

After that little bit of background, I asked the question of the hour: “What temperature is too cold for shorts?” Answers varied. 43.4% said that anything in the range of 50-60 was too cold while the ranges 60-70 and 40-50 degrees both scored 20.5%.

These notions go somewhat along with professionals at the awarded Akron Children’s Hospital in Ohio. Dr. Jason Levine, a pediatric doctor at the hospital, says that anywhere around the 40 and below mark is too cold to be wearing anything that doesn’t cover you up. This is because if your body is too exposed to the cold, you increase your chances of getting frostbite or hypothermia. The youth and the elderly in particular are the most vulnerable to these illnesses.

 On a less sickly note, 50.6% admitted to having sacrificed their warmth for the sake of an outfit at least once. To go a little deeper into this fashion aspect of the conversation, I asked the students if they’d ever seen a person’s attire and thought “Wow, that person must be cold.” A staggering 90.4% of all participants said they have. 

I think the lesson we can learn from this questionnaire is that if you are dressed like you’re about to hit Miami Beach in the middle of a Philadelphia winter, people will notice. Besides the concern for strange glances, a bigger concern is basic health. Try to check the weather before you head off to school in order to not only help you, but also Central as a whole. If you dress appropriately for the weather that means you eliminate the risk of catching and spreading sickness throughout our halls. No one wants to hear a sniffly nose behind them for 40 minutes in a quiet classroom, so be smart about your pant lengths.