Body Image Part 3: We Are What We Wear

September 10, 2015

If you are what you wear, then I am a Target store advertisement.  Sad, but true.  And honestly I really don’t mind, because I feel good when I wear their tee-shirts and I have some great jeans and skirts from there that I love.  I have been trying over the past year to really look at my closet and look at what I wear and what I feel good in.  I have been trying to be more true to what I really love.

I am not a fashion expert.  I’ll admit right now that I’m sitting here typing and wearing white jeans AFTER labor day.  I had to google this to see if it’s ok or not…and the first 10 or so results were all websites saying it is totally okay for me to break that rule.  

Good to know – but I probably would have worn the white pants today either way.  Because I felt good about the outfit and I’m a total rebel like that. 😉

 Back to the point,  I have read a couple books on fashion and how what we wear can affect our body image for good or bad. My opinion is just what a lot of the books pointed out – to wear what looks best on you and what makes you feel great!  I see lots of ladies at church and at school that look so great in different outfits, but they never 1. look right on me, or 2. I never feel comfortable in them.  I feel most confident and like I look my best in simple outfits.

Last spring I read a really great book, Dressing Your Truth.  It really gave me a lot to think about and I did think about it as I looked at my wardrobe this summer.  If you haven’t read that book I highly recommend it.  I haven’t taken her course, but I would love to do it at some point in time.

This week I also read two other books about fashion –  Change Your Clothes Change Your Life and The T-Shirts and Jeans Handbook.  I enjoyed both books.  The first one, Change Your Clothes book really made me think about how my outfits make me feel.  Right after reading a chapter about how women get hurried and leave the house in a outfit that doesn’t really make them feel great, and how this can change their outlook on their day, I made the same mistake.  I didn’t mean too, but I got rushed for time and was meeting friends.  I felt blah all day.  The next day I made a point to really take a few extra minutes to plan my outfit the night before (even if it’s just in my head) and my morning went smoother and I felt so much better about myself.
I think, at least for me, it might take a little planning. I probably really do need to take the advice from the books that I read for this week and really think twice about items in my closet.  Just because an item is cute doesn’t mean it is right for me.

The T-Shirts and Jeans book was such a fun little ebook that I read.  Its full of pictures and ideas and it was perfect for me.  I am such a tee-shirts and jeans girl.  I am trying to really think about what I can add or how I can change just one simple base outfit to make it something different.  I can do all this with stuff I already own too!

I kinda REALLY agree with this quote.  The way we dress can affect the way we think and the way we feel..  Just like that day I left the house in a hurry to meet my friends.  I didn’t like my outfit or my hair and I felt it all day.

So what’s your take?  Can an outfit really affect us?  Do you have any fashion secrets?  Have you read any of the three books that I read?  I would LOVE to hear your ideas!

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