"Even when I'm uncomfortable, I want to look comfortable." --Lena Dunham
A friend of mine brought up this topic, & it's been in the back of my mind for ages:
What should you wear when you don't feel comfortable in your own skin?
Most of us feel this way now & then, perhaps as often as once a week & certainly when we've gained weight or lost a friend or have to go somewhere we don't really want to go.
I'm not sure I know how to help people feel more at ease with themselves, but I think I can help you to dress to look more at ease.
After much thought, I have a few suggestions to help us through these times:
1. Avoid colors that make you feel underpaid or overfed, even if you are both :-) What colors are those? Well, you'll know best which colors make you feel rotten. I'd say you should avoid the colors that make your face look red if you know what I mean. I used to wear white when I was down on my luck since it felt like a fresh start. Today, I wear light gray, red, & white to feel cool, calm, & collected. Rich colors like black & gold can feel powerful too--you know the colors that feel best for you.
| I turn to my favorite colors of red, white, & gray to help me feel more like myself. (For more on signature colors, click on the photo >> ) |  |
2. Wear lightweight, breathable fabrics. This suggestion just piggybacks on the last one. Dress cool, stay cool. Avoid feeling overheated; default to lighter weight fabrics like cotton but make sure it's not the kind of cotton or a color that will show stains if you sweat. Wear a cami or undershirt to capture the heat from your body.
3. Wear clothes that fit you well. You certainly don't want to feel stuffed into your clothes or like you're falling out of them or like you're swamped in them when you're already feeling awkward.
4. Go with the status quo? It's rare that I would recommend that you dress like everyone else, but clothing forms a sort of code within social circles. If you want to fit in & feel more at ease, I suggest you dress like the people you want to be or have to be around. Or is it counter-intuitive to dress like the mob when you're trying to feel like yourself? It may help you to feel less out of place, but perhaps to be true to ourselves we should dress how we most want to dress--we should dress like who we are?
5. Clothes are one way to renew ourselves. Clothes can help you find yourself. When we're wearing the clothing that feels most "like us," we feel at our best. To realign with your core self, you might want to put on an outfit you've always felt good in, one that reminds you of good times. Or you may want to buy a new outfit that appeals to the vision you see for yourself.
A last suggestion...
Speak kindly to yourself. Try not to tell yourself you look terrible in whatever it is. Tell yourself you look great! Nod at yourself. Say "I've got this."
Just writing this post I now feel that prickly out-of-sorts feeling. For me the feeling comes when I haven't done something I need to do or when there's an event I dread approaching. Most of the time I feel back to myself once I've confronted the task or made it through the event. Sometimes I just have to wait it out.
3. Wear clothes that fit you well. You certainly don't want to feel stuffed into your clothes or like you're falling out of them or like you're swamped in them when you're already feeling awkward.
4. Go with the status quo? It's rare that I would recommend that you dress like everyone else, but clothing forms a sort of code within social circles. If you want to fit in & feel more at ease, I suggest you dress like the people you want to be or have to be around. Or is it counter-intuitive to dress like the mob when you're trying to feel like yourself? It may help you to feel less out of place, but perhaps to be true to ourselves we should dress how we most want to dress--we should dress like who we are?
5. Clothes are one way to renew ourselves. Clothes can help you find yourself. When we're wearing the clothing that feels most "like us," we feel at our best. To realign with your core self, you might want to put on an outfit you've always felt good in, one that reminds you of good times. Or you may want to buy a new outfit that appeals to the vision you see for yourself.
A last suggestion...
Speak kindly to yourself. Try not to tell yourself you look terrible in whatever it is. Tell yourself you look great! Nod at yourself. Say "I've got this."
Just writing this post I now feel that prickly out-of-sorts feeling. For me the feeling comes when I haven't done something I need to do or when there's an event I dread approaching. Most of the time I feel back to myself once I've confronted the task or made it through the event. Sometimes I just have to wait it out.
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