Whenever I compare my definition of what’s stylish now and what my grandmother would consider stylish, I am always amazed to see the differences in our tastes due to the huge generational gap. Whereas I may take beauty advice from beauty gurus on the internet in order to fit in with the likes and norms of society, my grandmother’s generation didn’t necessarily think twice about it. What I consider gaudy, she considers lavish. What she considers eye-catching, I consider an eye-sore. I guess she always saw the good in everything. For as long as I can remember, we’ve never seen eye to eye on style, but one thing I’ve always taken from her is her wisdom. From a young age, she never criticized me for what I wanted to wear, whether it be the ugliest poncho on the block or the bright orange zebra pants that was too bright for any time of day. She would simply say, “it’s not what you wear, it’s who you are as a person that matters”. I guess that stuck with me for years. Even though my grandmother lives continents away, her words continue to inspire me.
Style is about embracing what’s you as opposed to following what beauty gurus, what celebrities, or what the media forecasts as trendy. I believe style to be something unique and inherent in you. It’s not just about what you wear but about your character, your intellect and the way you carry yourself as a person. Style is not just about the outer you, but the inner you as well. These days, we seem to find style dictated to us via bill boards, the internet, shopping malls, magazines and so on. If you don’t dress a certain way, you’re scrutinized for it.
The amount of pressure on women especially, these days to dress a certain way is astounding. Of course I’m not trying to say that you can dress any way you want in the sense that you do not have to take a shower or its ok walk naked on the streets. However, you do have to transcend the basics of norms. Personal hygiene is definitely at the top of the list. You also have to cover parts of your body as last I checked public indecency is frowned upon. I’m talking about a style that you can wear and that can be demonstrated through action. What if the wisdom you exuberate is enough to contribute to your self-confidence, and choice of clothes doesn’t factor into that. What if your style is about the way you talk, the way you treat others and the way you behave. If only preference wasn’t given to body type and how much you spent on your outfit and makeup, perhaps humanity wouldn’t be so vain. Of course I understand that it is too much to ask considering we do live in a commodity-based economy, however the illusion is very real. Perhaps one day, we can change the world!
Women who wear too much or too little, are still criticized no matter what. Every magazine you see pictures a beautiful young woman wearing “supposedly stylish” articles of clothing. We are supposed to follow in her foot steps to look as stylish as her. It should frustrate us that we don’t look like the model in the cover or if we can even afford what the model is wearing, which is why we need to take upon the concept of “style” to revolutionize it for the better. Here are 5 ways you can change the way we look at style:
- Give compliments on attributes other than beauty. This way we are able to give value to something more important than looks. By complementing how smart one is as opposed to how their hair looks may be more of a self-boosting mechanism than you may think.
- Establish role models for their achievements as opposed to their looks. Pop culture references are all over the internet and every other medium out there that it’s easy to have celebrity role models just because “she’s pretty” or “she has the most beautiful hair”. Giving importance to intellect over beauty can truly shape young women’s future from a young age.
- Express your feelings openly. Make sure you are heard! Take to social media to show your disappointment with style magazines who only cater to a certain fashion and a certain body type. There is so much diversity in every culture that no one mainstream style fits all. We have to embrace every person no matter what background they to fit a unified theme. And if style to some means how good they are with computer science or how interested they are in micro-biology, we should embrace it and love it.
- Embrace yourself, and do not feel bad for what the media expects of you. If you’re religious and cover modestly, if you’re self-righteous and believe in covering up, if you’re beautiful and want to dress up or if you just feel like wearing the comfiest pair of shorts or yoga pants all day, every day then yes… do it as style should be about being kind to that old lady on the street, giving up your seat to an older gentleman or waiting in line at the grocery store instead of yelling at the cashier to hurry up. Who cares what you look like if you’re the reason for brightening up people’s days. And the good thing, it doesn’t cost to be a good person unlike that pair of Louboutins that you’ll have to spend a good amount of paychecks on. All you need is the right aptitude.
- Be an example for others. Start by being less involved with yourself and more involved with your surroundings. Start with stressing less about what you’re going to wear in the morning and focusing more on your studies perhaps. Get involved with causes that speak to you, be genuine, and most of all be kind. Start with the small things, like smiling at a toddler or pushing away a rock on the street so that someone else will not trip over it.