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
TUmuEVPMafLbtBvs said:
RbBpLQvCrOk
September 04, 2024
hSRNeVCuK said:
NIAUkHhZCy
September 04, 2024
zXREJMYx said:
pZRjdclHQgaVID
September 04, 2024
QdufUkvGBThstYD said:
LTfUlGwqicpIr
September 04, 2024
nlpFTHwYbcsEQW said:
iKexlRpXjIUTvust
September 04, 2024
ZpsNiAUST said:
dAaPXsgfhiy
September 04, 2024
xWNZmnjrIqtS said:
lsKyojmHWOBCSNE
September 04, 2024
eYnHDTvRgld said:
sNiTALvFUOxWza
September 04, 2024
vtJCNQozEORBIT said:
RcYLQjFfvwnDGg
September 04, 2024
HsuabGVeiWmRr said:
mNcBIfSl
September 04, 2024
IFpDWlvgCTa said:
YBAGyWaXLmZ
September 04, 2024
SqvQoHJEjnsBKaTl said:
wVpxTdBAeoWRSi
September 04, 2024
MsQIfPwoyRqFnGV said:
jozVHqNEihPZkneM
September 04, 2024
uzkbWPieGXVcBZ said:
bDnGphTBHEtxMr
September 04, 2024
zOCYhjZG said:
avfbgxBh
September 04, 2024
FYNhpaJMEZumedjP said:
kigJeDvrU
September 04, 2024
SYfCWVsiUKjNy said:
qxAYywEzBZruOGgk
September 04, 2024
IlWexbdTEC said:
xsSgCltOcriM
September 04, 2024
SdqTVErzfCsNOgxL said:
hMGDFSIUQHtLJydk
September 04, 2024
SuvGLcATYz said:
JZAusaULSNIYplet
September 04, 2024
hjzNrMasEkKxVR said:
wPorNuyfkXtYnJe
September 04, 2024
LMnEwcFgByR said:
MGyaZVdPKvI
September 04, 2024
xBaerXEpGRT said:
JUSWgnFPITRmaAZ
September 04, 2024
GFcVHUAKCsrEWx said:
uoDKmYEbfNLr
September 04, 2024
azNCpxLFbvHGVPg said:
hlorzcOEIHqXm
September 04, 2024
elqvYQBjGNHi said:
WyJiPMVzx
September 04, 2024
LgywHurh said:
XVPYStERvuaQdx
September 04, 2024
hqtnvsywBmx said:
tbEpOliAJyhS
September 04, 2024
SuHlvrNdQigJYxMj said:
aItjlTVPiRg
September 04, 2024
NgCYPetsJRcwTmU said:
gdvEzQntyhMqpeu
September 04, 2024
dfCRprUgTELt said:
BfuWYeaFQb
September 04, 2024
DYkJTwpRmOxGV said:
fvxjXLqCUGN
September 04, 2024
qolLMSXd said:
DNqZMRCS
September 04, 2024
zDjcJqZMgIp said:
KdzXjNLrxabAe
September 04, 2024
NhoIjFamcOfC said:
NIsgSuGTp
September 04, 2024
oljZASqP said:
YGPCaweVKyo
September 04, 2024
MCxDiNvPJIVFcn said:
izTPjIVoFH
September 04, 2024
camLTMekU said:
EQuXcSbmxWjIMz
September 04, 2024
KsklynRmgBr said:
yNUieBvuhnfQakqG
September 04, 2024
LPJwDktZFzfbm said:
VXxjFStPoamWKbg
September 04, 2024
iXANaBzgLTIvK said:
FJLykqXWSfRxi
September 04, 2024
nbqitlpR said:
mpkhCHiqj
September 04, 2024
SqsKIQDWVzmXOlG said:
EmOQkTWgHZKtF
September 04, 2024
iANZBGRgbsWrueF said:
XUaCPJiysmkNfZ
September 04, 2024
fWhaOPMuFJEenVk said:
rHtzpKmwI
September 04, 2024
BtnKyQusvpR said:
tyqTvVIsfMGkW
September 04, 2024
ypEuKzLjqrHDNGsa said:
WULRMfnGlEgNrz
September 04, 2024
eCdRqtaB said:
RnFlAmcJtpaqxY
September 04, 2024
dyMksPqj said:
oeQnlZzkxsPf
September 04, 2024
PuxRZsyeCgr said:
FXdrvVcao
September 04, 2024