Have you ever felt unfashionable? Like you identify as someone who likes clothes, enjoys looking nice, and of course feeling good, yet somehow not fashionable like the “put together girl” in your English class. I relate to this. I think many people do at some point in their lives. There is a high pressure given off by society that there is a single story of what fashion is. But what does this mean and is it realistic?
I have always had an affinity for clothing. I attribute my mother early on for this excitement and joy of dressing, as she habitually exercised it with me. From dressing me in the most “put together,” fun, and girly looks, I experienced personal styling and custom-made styling at a young age.
This love of clothing and dressing never left, and motivated me to always dress to look cute. This brought on a pressure to have outfits that are well curated and appear effortless, individual, and yet trendy at the same time. Sometimes it’s just not realistic to dress like the world expects. Often times I don’t want to. It is easy to believe that to be stylish is to always be turned on and always trendy. To me, fashion meant having style, and having style meant that every day, all the time, no matter what, you dressed on trend and in line with a chosen aesthetic. This is work. And I decided that it’s just not true.
Fashion truly is what you make it. Whether you execute the perfect hipster look one day and the next is a combination of girlie and punk, it’s all your style, and whether it’s on trend or not does not have to matter. In this I have discovered a new identity and joy of dressing. Without the pressure of how the world wants you to look, and questioning how you stand up next to the other girls in class, you are able to explore what fashion has to offer and make it your own. I have resolved to dress to feel cute rather than look cute. To feel cute, comfortable, sassy, timeless, classic, rugged, edgy, powerful… This connects me to my clothing.