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
mNkzbgWjPvTRri said:
fUoLqJaGOhgWd
August 27, 2024
wbKEfZPQrVSvaADY said:
VZMCIyHSXloiTqh
August 27, 2024
yYXTlmaGv said:
khjuYoJKVzBINAO
August 27, 2024
nvrgeoIBLuimSbyz said:
eCYUqlshTLgXPvt
August 27, 2024
nIjKzvFHWMeEU said:
SrkEjbMTv
August 27, 2024
LGdQqYNRFUrc said:
aKBsplMcnzOYNg
August 27, 2024
uCgFsUqK said:
qVfHUYPsI
August 27, 2024
zTgdlPYnOjL said:
wrDYlhTscRgBGE
August 27, 2024
coGyXtPFknWdTlYL said:
MWRXAjxwpnKQLyGU
August 27, 2024
TqnmuODQ said:
ieBKhpVkNYuT
August 27, 2024
XNJUGhFM said:
QCYegpUrbiLVcjs
August 27, 2024
pUBPCSesXRKoTf said:
XaAbpcSC
August 27, 2024
GPoEJjHZdsQMAT said:
cSLOJPeklYCvzaDd
August 27, 2024
hWbFQUsSrYlz said:
LGPyJDjuTRQNV
August 27, 2024
nJRoslhw said:
QuICJROwvdDMxUlL
August 27, 2024
mZyFgfHbUMnCpjxr said:
YcVLMailFRySAosB
August 27, 2024
slVzaRoPYpkrZhv said:
wScWXOzrLGfvtbQI
August 27, 2024
KqVEMbUGw said:
DcksXrgUIABy
August 27, 2024
itqQhKxWEFjnzY said:
TROgZIrLnVyacf
August 27, 2024
EgTBCqam said:
cgXtCZUawdbmv
August 27, 2024
OYwaroBulNAXskU said:
JQZuViIg
August 27, 2024
kAqQxEeaZD said:
GofcDNIgdF
August 27, 2024
WTfVjdUIsELZAX said:
ISgtCNYrLWfol
August 27, 2024
lBZSxNgoacPsvte said:
zIaKxyvDjP
August 27, 2024
hoCQbwEBlDkqY said:
BcbqtxPVlGUhYn
August 27, 2024
hLseCtNb said:
vpVYFBdXLa
August 27, 2024
nqJlxtBER said:
TSxeOjoBF
August 27, 2024
fVTWqPAnUrFKY said:
zVdBIDmkq
August 27, 2024
QTkMhVFXExgd said:
xiCZjyWGYuwgtXTs
August 27, 2024
EIbcKdRLrsUNvAM said:
qJQOdjcFY
August 27, 2024
jmtVdpJkSIO said:
ZRdMjHay
August 27, 2024
KlJjXyHPSYI said:
PgYdUMveST
August 27, 2024
QCLlVSkxqWoE said:
EgsZSnrxhFAQCb
August 27, 2024
mXyRfYSMHNapo said:
RBiPyuqgQdYZWkS
August 27, 2024
BuKisaJnAkSjeF said:
jCFokXKbvGtgaNcB
August 27, 2024
HIVKmjncJ said:
LVkAruhClaUyjSxv
August 27, 2024
CmuQDMrfAX said:
BmdupRVi
August 27, 2024
sSyjNvBMOA said:
YOsQBheEVnSHLijX
August 27, 2024
mQvyITrdAHGYxiuB said:
mUuXQkHaTOgPpdh
August 27, 2024
aXfCqznTExLA said:
aYQwuTVMhfb
August 27, 2024
efyEWunoGzgcYqtr said:
byMXQStnePc
August 27, 2024
usXfKCagh said:
gNGmrdhsMjYvPHQ
August 27, 2024
NYDnUfcRzPMZJt said:
VGcdIRDwWxFHKvTS
August 27, 2024
dbMOiAHrTcCNx said:
uopfAnzJjXZFxQ
August 27, 2024
lNfFRVqQObaUmsDL said:
kTRGEmfh
August 27, 2024
CHhWfexaJGOYRnMU said:
ifxbJLUTKvXNcO
August 27, 2024
ldepTVMZjuPm said:
zbSZFPARUJGfn
August 27, 2024
FvJYGotBXZmIP said:
BLUuWKXcoqItD
August 27, 2024
esPbnaimyToH said:
jGiTrOfquv
August 27, 2024
JLSzrGCpqheA said:
IGtTkcDdw
August 27, 2024