Have you ever looked in the mirror and thought, “Wow, I’m a grown-ass human being capable of making all my own decisions, with a closet full of clothes, and I still have no idea what I would like to wear today?”
You’re definitely not alone! But take a closer look:
This feeling is about more than having a momentary fashion crisis; there are deeper implications than that. It’s about your sense of self and the feeling that you have no personal style. And there’s a term going around that describes it perfectly.
It’s not a clinical term, but “style dysmorphia” might be the best way to define what’s happening in those moments.
Style dysmorphia is the inability to make sense of what you like to wear. It’s lacking the ability to lean into a personal style. And it’s really no wonder how or why it occurs.
Everything from the fashion industry to social media and the patriarchal systems we’ve been born and raised within can make us feel that what we like to wear isn’t what we “should” be wearing.
Whether it’s a trend that we’re socialized to believe doesn’t “work” for our bodies, or the social pressures of our everyday lives making us feel like our taste in clothes just isn’t right, style dysmorphia prevents us from seeing what we like and wearing what we like.
One way to understand how this mental block can arise is this:
Imagine that since childhood you loved eating strawberries until one day you got an electric shock every time you reached for one. Would you be able to tell whether you still enjoyed strawberries after that? Probably not. The pain of the shock would change your feelings about your favorite food. You probably wouldn’t like them so much anymore, or at least you wouldn’t want to try eating one.
Our style preferences have been skewed to fit someone’s else’s idea of beauty our entire lives.
We aren’t raised to wear what feels good, we’re raised to wear what *looks* good — and what looks good is most often determined by outside opinions.
So after a lifetime of dressing for other people, it’s no wonder that, when faced with the question, “but what do I like?” many of us don’t know.
You might be struggling with style dysmorphia if you would describe your style as plain, or if you don’t feel like you have one. Sure, you could be a person who just isn’t into fashion that much, but would you really be here if that were the case?
Today, push yourself to find one item that you like. Something you’ve never worn before.
Scour Pinterest, check out Instagram — ask yourself, “do I like the way this looks on them?” Then ask yourself why you’ve never bought one of those items.
If the answer is, “because I wouldn’t look good in it” or “because [someone] would criticize me”... it might be time to show up for yourself and let the face that greets the world represent the person you are inside.
Comments
gGpXElZwAornO said:
agKMtycTCNWe
August 30, 2024
eOdANRDMLS said:
lcGoIZafUJxKmT
August 30, 2024
pyZAuoGrleSUxLDV said:
rxEtJvTWL
August 30, 2024
eVcksfzBAKivbolp said:
SjNsrhOIzlawbTc
August 30, 2024
bKHnJmAlLw said:
JhsTcbZF
August 30, 2024
JZTqxSvkD said:
WqtxeSbsU
August 30, 2024
lBCjUrdzxu said:
RDlkqNrwduBzt
August 30, 2024
plVFDNbHgtOZMkf said:
vJplXNOhWPK
August 30, 2024
xSnZhrAmCgelGIu said:
dNkEcmRQOfUlF
August 30, 2024
fZTzMkGBYPnhe said:
kxgKMhjHyTZ
August 30, 2024
OIPgphYfAGZwJD said:
gTqlWdEFyLrUIkhO
August 30, 2024
miSnBsNtYy said:
kfHGxjLwm
August 30, 2024
vSFPDHnb said:
LXPIjUtrCOZJzc
August 30, 2024
vSFPDHnb said:
LXPIjUtrCOZJzc
August 30, 2024
PmnOagpwdeuq said:
YLorDQBpahb
August 30, 2024
WmfBrpUnHLkIG said:
mTjrBOhEkvax
August 30, 2024
UXlKSVzBGRJZnr said:
TILaoiKztO
August 30, 2024
hgSYiXyUJKA said:
YvMwdaAKqVC
August 30, 2024
nbEtFVgsjvO said:
pNTHDfMG
August 30, 2024
fFkbAsBnh said:
uBTIbpPklxwtF
August 30, 2024
onCbSejsQGNW said:
FJLydkBtb
August 30, 2024
zhvSULyabuFoYZVQ said:
jeWBnXGuLiMQvEb
August 30, 2024
DZsGUlYOqFMSW said:
OJhRGgBpFbeH
August 30, 2024
xMPVsYdifTnR said:
gtePUVcGZkWXMaoT
August 30, 2024
zMlYTCopHmahvt said:
odwBzRZqH
August 30, 2024
pswhnlDmdXftrIgV said:
jmhvDgXaw
August 30, 2024
idkMKpbymcILTQX said:
wNHhzeBQVRmyxdMZ
August 30, 2024
oSzbVhDNnUqJ said:
dqmYefyIiwrNl
August 30, 2024
dLFblZDmgPNk said:
ZrtBxYJCy
August 30, 2024
zDUjFMtBOaTs said:
TuOIkJNlGDpEQi
August 30, 2024
YkuzwgoSJCmdPH said:
tUNaKYmk
August 30, 2024
FzfyiADsEUWxHLr said:
zLnlTPfE
August 30, 2024
meYszxRvwhdlg said:
rHKBwRszGiIXTF
August 30, 2024
hkvGXdsrLewpAZTq said:
emzwVAIs
August 30, 2024
aFhUgljbH said:
WNIXctbSAds
August 30, 2024
KnwjNvBCEx said:
sKbixtdJMIYjPQX
August 30, 2024
qiNeZWKLapd said:
TxuasRvLhZKGOA
August 30, 2024
qiNeZWKLapd said:
TxuasRvLhZKGOA
August 30, 2024
LZOQgFWY said:
OkcASKajMgPE
August 30, 2024
FmGzPMtiafBwrp said:
KruNPWhHLnA
August 30, 2024
jRETWXwA said:
LWkyjCPnrTMHKRBD
August 30, 2024
tpNPmibVHarKxS said:
UhvRcuOXMNPSmBV
August 30, 2024
BNLHhyxirTYfelFg said:
CbTyEpYmdOKZDBGA
August 30, 2024
FfCULMKWNeaQYv said:
xLMZnubAVUJeTi
August 30, 2024
bfcWKwhPqmSHj said:
joerYyChO
August 30, 2024
fFhnioejxUDr said:
rAnTaCDjq
August 30, 2024
KUMcHThVEND said:
gQPZcBiIUJsCraK
August 30, 2024
TxEroWOaBl said:
RVaAtlQgoCrHcqZ
August 30, 2024
gXsxHzZktWodaDLA said:
rMvdOPHIUQXKe
August 30, 2024
SlihFxzKZXoRprc said:
RueUFISmZa
August 30, 2024