Personal style? What is it? There are a lot of factors that goes into how one dresses. Whether it’s because of conformity, personal expression, dressing for comfort, etc., we all make conscious decisions on what graces our shoulders. But recently we’ve definitely seen the rise of the influences of social media. I feel like we used to get dressed in the morning and be able to express ourselves through each piece, but now things are totally different. People are more self-aware, more aware of others, and more aware of how others see themselves. Overall, we’re just looking at each other more.
I, for one, think personal style is and should be a form of expression. There is no solid definition to the things we wear, but I do believe whatever we choose to put on tells a story. It may not be our life story, it may be just the story of that day; the story of how we’re feeling when we woke up; the story we want to see play out. I see clothing as a sort of narrative to our lives.
Now, we may not be totally aware this narrative is happening, but the little choices here and there as we get dressed in the morning are the ones that build our story. You can think about jeans while you’re spacing out in the morning but then reach for a skirt once you’re standing in front of your closet. And you’re probably thinking “yeah this is what I want to wear today!”
Stemming from that, I am a firm believer in wearing what YOU want as long as YOU are comfortable in it and that’s all that matters. As we are influenced by people we see on social media, I think it’s easy to fall into a habit of dressing for the sake of gaining followers, looking cool, impressing others. And no. I am one totally not cool with that. You are the one wearing the clothes, you are the one you should be impressing. As long as you’re walking out of the house feeling as good as you think you look, I say, you’re going to have yourself a fabulous day, no matter what anyone else says.
I do want to add a side note to this: although I say you should wear whatever you want, it’s also important to consider your surroundings and the occasion to which you are dressing. You’re not going to wear your comfy jersey pajamas to a job interview. And when you’re headed to church, you should probably reconsider wearing a Balmain spandex mini with stilettos. You may feel good in it, but you should also be respecting others and if you already have a sense of that in your life, then this shouldn’t be a problem.
This is a little long winded and I could probably go on and on, but my main point is I think more and more people are getting dressed in the mornings influenced by outside factors. And it’s because of this that the sense of “personal style” is headed to extinction. Let’s write our own narrative!
+ALYSSA