There is a peculiar glamour in the way life falls apart theatrically. Yet there is poise to be found in rebellion and grace even in grief. Crying should be poetic. And Nigel from The Devil Wears Prada, absurdly yet firmly, said it first: “Let me know when your whole life goes up in smoke. Means it’s time for a promotion”.
Dear reader, this sleeve is a metaphor for conduct. Cry fashionably has nothing to do with clothes and everything to do with comportment. It is posture under pressure, propriety when pride wants spectacle, and a refusal to let chaos override your charm. Consider why we so quixotically romanticize the image of Ariel spilling over her pearly, winsome tears, or Jennifer Lawrence’s magnificent fall as she ascended the Oscars stage, drowning in diamonds and her billowed, iridescent Dior couture. So, “Darling if you fall, fall in Dior.”
Cashmere for the Heart
Showing up with confidence makes all the difference, for it convinces your brain that you’re safer than you feel by activating the parasympathetic and dampening stress responses. It’s the enigmatic trick of physiology, a form of emotional posture. Studies actually back this up: psychologists say that confidence, even when feigned through power-posing, activates neural pathways of self-regulation, teaching the brain to associate posture with control.
In other words, fake composure becomes real composure. Acceptance isn’t apathy; it’s awareness that, even in disorder, you can choose to look at yourself kindly. Your heart can be a drama queen, but acceptance is the art of softening your resistance to what already is. It’s choosing to wrestle every imperfection into order. Confidence burgeons from that surrender and the realization that you can’t always control your emotions, but you can control your bearings.
So, if you’re going to cry after your 8 a.m. midterm, do it in cashmere, or whatever material best placates your spirit. Wrap yourself in something that feels like self-respect and power. And maybe your heart’s dramatic flair is just what keeps life interesting.
The Crying Selfie
It’s why the crying selfie resonates; the natural makeup flush, the damp lashes, the red ‘Rudolph nose’. Vogue called it “performative vulnerability”; but perhaps it’s a gentler self-styled therapy. As one creator flaunted, and as Imaan Sayed told Vogue, “Maybe subconsciously it’s to get attention, but I’m also used to sharing almost everything online. Why not this? And because I’m a pretty crier.” It appeals to the vulnerable, yet tasteful eye. Sometimes, it’s just about admiring imperfections – the authentic and instinctive response to life.
Lovingly, Let Go
“If I were to fall, may it be in Louboutins and Miss Dior.”
You may think this article is contentious or satirical, but I promise its purpose is simply human. To cry fashionably is to live tenderly and to let the heart perform without apology.
It’s normal if your life occasionally explodes, escorted by a tearful waterfall. Nigel calls it a promotion; I call it perspective. Because self-love isn’t always positivity and balmy sunshine. Sometimes it’s mascara-streaked cheeks, and the steady decision to let go and move forward. To love yourself is to loosen your grip on perfection, and that can look different for everyone, whether it’s putting on a red lip, donning rose-tinted sunglasses, or turning Bruin Walk into your own runway every day.