Ok. I admit it. I am probably the last person who should be writing anything about fashion of any sort.
Seriously.
In high school I wore button-down collared shirts with gym shorts. That’s not a joke. I actually woke up, put gym shorts on, looked in my closet, and thought, “You know what would go well with this black set of Nike basketball shorts? A green-striped button-down collared shirt.” Oh, and don’t worry, the moment was forever immortalized in our high school yearbook.
It’s amazing I found a woman willing to say, “I do.”
So when it came to looking fashionable as a youth minister, I had no hope. I had no desire to grow a goatee, wouldn’t let skinny jeans within a mile of my closet, and wouldn’t wear plaid if I were paid to play on the PGA Tour.
As a youth minister, this evidently put me in the minority. I even used to get stared at during training conference by groups of youth ministers who appeared to be thinking, “What’s wrong with you? You’re not one of us.”
Plaid is everywhere in youth ministry: youth groups, retreats, conferences. It’s almost as if youth ministers think, “I better go with the plaid shirt tonight. Don’t want my numbers to drop.”
Honestly, you can’t escape it. In fact, I’m pretty sure if there were ever a softball team made up of all youth ministers their uniforms would be…plaid. (Although I wonder how they’d do running the bases in sandals).
I don’t get it.
I don’t understand it.
But remember, I am fashionally-impaired.
Maybe it’s because when you’re working with teens, there’s a pressure to be cool.
Maybe it’s because plaid shirts are ridiculously comfortable.
I don’t know.
But I do know that if it makes you feel confident when you’re standing in front of a group of teens, it’s probably worth wearing. It’s just a good thing for me, I gave up on those gym shorts.
Question: What’s your favorite Youth Ministry outfit? (Share below.)
Nice work, Eric. I wore a plaid shirt last night for Life Night. For me, it’s comfort. Most of the time, I think I wear a T-shirt (retreat T-shirt, yes). But being it’s 17 degrees outside lately, the plaid also kept me plenty warm. I had no idea how often I wore plaid until one of my roommates came home one day with a picture of a “typical” youth minister and said it was me. The “model” youth minister had a plaid shirt, jeans and flip-flops. I hope next time you see me I’m wearing my Craig T. Nelson Fan T-shirt.
Thanks Chris! If you don’t have your Craig T. Nelson T-Shirt on next time I see you, I will be very disappointed.
Jeans t-shirt and cardigan! Oh and moccasins or birks!
Sounds pretty fashionable Rita!
I have never seen a youth minister wearing a plaid shirt… perhaps it’s a regional thing. I live in the Texas desert, so it doesn’t get very cold around here (When the temperature drops below 70 we all grab our jackets and sweatshirts).
Lucy, we do the same in Arizona. When it’s below 70, we bundle up like we’re going skiing.
I’d propose that unnecessary scarves are the female equivalent to the plaid shirt, in youth ministry land.
Haha! Seriously! I always find it odd when the scarf makes an appearance at a Conference in Arizona…in July.
That’s more like it… as we speak, I am rocking an awesome leopard print scarf… but in my defense it was below 70 when I left my house this morning
I also think the female YM staples include a cardigan, that misc Catholic t-shirt, and a skirt. Always the cardigan, t-shirt, and skirt. It’s classy enough for us to meet with parents, but still says “Hey; I’m your hipster YM here for the party. I can rock this t-shirt AND make it Mass appropriate!”
Oh yes! The misc Catholic t-shirt. So true!
I agree 100%!!
I would have to agree with Lucy, I have never seen Y.M.s in my area (Kansas) wear plaid…but if I ever make it to a national YM conference and I see plaid everywhere, I will remember this and laugh really hard. Ok anyways, I am always sporting my Sperry’s (looooove them!), sometimes a Catholic Tshirt, our youth group tshirt, and sometimes I dress up in a cute cardigan/sweater with some color popping jewelry and/or a zebra print scarf. Whatever I am comfortable in.
Thanks for your posts, keep them coming!
Color popping jewelry? Zebra print scarf? These things clearly don’t fit in my limited fashion vocabulary. Keep up the great work!