Many women mistakenly believe that fashion makes you feel bad. They look at how the fashion industry promotes its wares and how society encourages us to conform to a young slender ideal, and they come to the conclusion that fashion is another way of controlling women by making them feel bad about themselves. This isn’t true of fashion though, just some of the businesses which bring the clothes to us and the way in which the media chooses to focus on our insecurities. When you concentrate on clothing as an expression of your identity, rather than a set of rigid rules to conform to, fashion is one of the most creative things that many adults indulge in.
Fashion helps us fit in to our tribe, and it also enables us to stand out from the crowd. Well fitting clothes make us feel good, items we love to wear give us a psychological boost, and striking garments can draw smiles and compliments from strangers. The only thing we need to do is choose garments which fit and flatter, before building the confidence needed to brush off surprised comments from loved ones. If someone thoughtlessly asks if you’re going out dressed like that, just reply with “yes, I love it and just can’t save it for ‘best’ any more!” Not everyone wears what they’d like to wear, because many people are scared to stand out and so would rather blend in. That doesn’t mean you should do the same. If you love it and it makes you feel good, it’s worth it. If an outfit makes you smile – smile! If someone else has nothing better to do than make a cruel comment on your appearance, then they are very sad indeed. Day-to-day life can get pretty boring at times, so who are they to say you can’t liven it up with a pair of silly shoes?
Image via Irregular Choice.
This is a really good point. I'm a guy who follows a few fashion blogs, and I hardly have the income to buy many clothes too often, but when I do, I make a really conscious choice about what it is.
Clothing defines as much about the present zeitgeist as what music you are listening to. I really like your pithy phrase 'Fashion helps us fit into our tribe'. That's incredibly relevant to many people. There's much more to fashion than what Anna Wintour or the catwalk girls dictate. Style should be an individual thing, unique, tribal and self expressive!
Fashion with confidence. I think I like the sound of that š You've just pushed me over the edge to buy some silly red shoes (it was lingering on my mind for a while)
Great post!
“Clothing defines as much about the present zeitgeist as what music you are listening to” – You're so right! Fashion can be used as a shorthand to describe yourself to others, and many adults don't realise that this applies just as much to those aged 20 and over as it does to teenagers.
As for those red shoes… buy them! And send me a photo š
I have the problem that I buy silly shoes but don't have anything to wear them with…because the rest of my wardrobe is silly too. And too much silly can be a bit overwhelming! I now have instructed myself to stick to black or brown shoes…but life doesn't seem as much fun as a result!!
What you need is a crazy design, in black. I have a pair of United Nude Eamz Pumps (purchased in the sale, with Christmas/birthday money!). They go with everything and *always* get compliments. http://www.unitednude.com/products/womens/eamz