Close your eyes. Transport yourself to a moment in time when you felt absolutely beautiful. Maybe it was yesterday. Maybe it was when you were heading to an special event. Maybe it was when you were going on your first date. Maybe it was your wedding day.
When you close your eyes, think about these things:
- How did you look?
- How did you feel?
- What were you wearing?
- What was the fabric like?
- How did the clothes fit your body?
- What did your hair look like?
- What did your makeup look like?
- Were you smiling at yourself in the mirror?
- How long did it take you to get ready that day?
- Did you take pictures of yourself?
- What thoughts did you have when you saw yourself in the mirror?
When you open your eyes, I want you to think about the last time you felt that amazing? That powerful? That beautiful? When's the last time you cared like that? When's the last time you allowed yourself to take that long to get ready?
As I shared in last week's blog (https://stylesynchrony.blogspot.com/2024/05/5-simple-style-tips-to-boost-confidence.html), there is an inside-out connection to style. When you show up for yourself on the outside, it increases the value you feel about yourself on the inside.
It's All a Lie
When Covid hit in 2020, we all went into complete comfort mode. Why wouldn't we? We were literally not leaving our homes. We were not seeing anyone and if we did, we were hiding or trying to stay far away. Our clothing allowed us to hide. What we wore was not meant to be welcoming. It only takes 21 days to make a habit. So, after the amount of time we spent hermitting away from people, the habit of dressing casually was cemented.
In addition to the habit of dressing casually, we learned to LOVE the comfort of those dressed down days.
Therefore YEARS later, it's common to hear women say that they don't care what they look like. Still slouching around in leggings, t-shirts, sweatshirts, and joggers. The pandemic continues because of this due to higher levels of depression, anxiety, social anxiety, and not committing to social events because:
- You don't know how you will FEEL when the event occurs.
- Getting "dressed up" stresses you out and you have nothing to wear.
This is a MAJOR problem, particularly for women. Being social with other women is incredibly important to reduce depression and for overall happiness.
I want to share another thing that I know deeply from personal experience. I am what I like to call an Extroverted Introvert. I love being with people, but I can't do it all the time. I need quiet and I need to be alone. Both things fuel me, but if the scales are tipped too far toward one or the other, there is imbalance. I believe in RSVPing to events quickly because as someone who hosts events, I know how vital it is for the host to know how many to plan for (they are spending money here, so it's the absolute least we can do). That's a completely DIFFERENT topic for a different day. Anyway, that RSVP cements me in because I don't want to be rude and waste someone else's hard earned money when they planned for me to come and I "just don't feel like it". There needs to be a valid reason. I have OFTEN felt a sense of dread or a feeling like I just don't want to go right before a social event. Whether because I'm tired and my power bank feels empty, or because I'm nervous, or not feeling "social". However EVERY SINGLE TIME that I feel like this beforehand and go the the event, I leave feeling so fulfilled and so happy that I did go. As empty as my tank may be before going, after I leave smiling and glad that I went and so much better for it.
You may be saying "My real friends shouldn't care about how I look." and while that is true, I truly believe that friends should inspire each other to be their best, to do their best, and to feel their best.
It's Past Time to Show Up
I'm not going to go on ad nauseum about the internal value of showing up for yourself by getting dressed. I talked about that last week. What I am going to say is that if you are still telling yourself that what you wear doesn't matter and your daily uniform is leggings, t-shirts, sweatshirts, and joggers, you are doing yourself a major disservice.
Style does NOT have to be restrictive and uncomfortable. You can find beautiful fabric blouses that allow you to move. You can level-up your legging game with dressier Ponte pants or even flared leggings. You can take the time to add some simple, but impactful accessories or shoes with interest.
Dressing in a sloppy way is sending the wrong message. To yourself about your self-worth and to others about how trustworthy and capable you are. You can do better. It's time to show up. No more hiding in the background. It's time to be seen.
If you haven't already, go ahead and close your eyes and think about how you want to feel and how you want to show up. What is going to make you feel beautiful, magnetic, and your most powerful and seen? Leggings and t-shirts or something else?
Here's to the power of style...and caring how we feel.
Stylishly Yours,
Are you making common mistakes when it comes to your style? Get my Freebie: 7 Common Style Mistakes Women Make (and How to Fix Them) here!
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