5 Reasons to Pump Up Your Fashion Game- Women's Beachwear Fashion | Hacks | Womanlikeu

“Tell me something girl, are you happy in this modern world? Or do you need more?

Is there something else you are searching for?”

- Shallow by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper (A Star is Born – 2018)

 

Remember a time you wore something, you put it on and you just felt great? What was it that made you feel great? The color, the fit, the style quotient, a mix of everything or something else. Something deeper, something more.

Well, to answer that, I had to deep dive into what is fashion, on what levels it affects us and what is its relevance in our day to day life. Just like the 30 million working women in India, I spend almost 50% of my waking life trying to do the best I can at work. This pursuit keeps the bill paid and more importantly gives me the much needed motivation of the higher pursuit which waves it’s tempting flag on the horizon.

 

So, how do clothes play a role? Well, they do a big one for me. I answered the question put above only to find out that every time I wore something which in my opinion made me look great, not only did it make me happy, the goodness also projected on my environment and the positivity was manifested through various channels.

Realize that what you wear makes a huge difference not just on how you're perceived by others, but more importantly, on how you feel about yourself.

When you feel comfortable and confident, you feel happier in general. Feeling confident and happy impacts your business and your personal life and it can come from something as simple as how you dress and go out into the world.

Yet much of the time choosing what to wear feels intimidating, uncomfortable, and awkward: we don't know what to wear or how to wear it, and we definitely worry whether what we're choosing is right for us.

 So here I am putting my thoughts together around this theory. I have tried and listed: 5 reasons as to why wearing good clothes might have helped me and many others like me at work.

1. Dopamine Dressing

2. Symbolism

This is another big factor in driving those confidence and happiness levels high. There is a well accepted saying that to become the Boss, start dressing like one. Now, does this theory hold any water? Yes, as per some psychologists, symbolism plays a huge role subliminally in building and projecting opinions both internally and externally. When people believe in the symbolic meaning of their clothes, it can affect their cognitive processes, and part of those are your emotions.

In one experiment, some participants wore a garment described as a doctor’s coat and others an identical garment described as a painter’s coat. Participants wearing what they thought was a doctor’s coat performed better in a task than those who thought they were in a painter’s coat – the influence of clothes, the paper suggested, depends on “wearing them and their symbolic meaning”. It all in a way is about your hard wired beliefs, all fashion does is simulate those beliefs which in turn invokes your emotions. So in light of this, ‘Lucky Pants’ start to make more sense, if that old pearl bracelet you had on, when you landed your first gig and was a part of you when you had your first raise, then your deep belief in the luck they are attached to might actually make you feel more confident and you probably will end up performing better!

3. What you wear is an extension of your personality

I have realized over time that it is really important that I dress to empower myself as a primary function, what others think is secondary. Someone might walk up to you and say that you look great or “hey that’s a cool shirt”, but compliments should be an afterthought, what you wear should be about what you feel confident in.

The choice of your attire, look or ensemble should be a representation of your persona, your true self, that in many ways is related to symbolism, that we discussed above. For example if functionality or comfort is my first preference while choosing a piece of clothing and trend isn’t then I would never go for that bright yellow mini skirt, I would rather stick with my blue pair of denim. It is very important to be true to yourself to feel and project that confidence. The art of dressing well starts from within. The key goal should be to make your attire so fluid and an integral extension of you that you spare no mind space gauging what others might be thinking of it.

The psychology of fashion is an area few are aware of, and fewer use to their advantage. As in every part of your life, awareness of self is one of the keys to happiness—know what you love, and, just as importantly, what you don’t. Once you are completely comfortable with what you put on, the confidence you carry will project itself across, that’s all you really need. It’s easier said than done though.

 4. Difference between fashion and style

Trends are erratic, but the art of picking and choosing pieces from those different trends, and from different time periods and geographies, is what surpasses fashion and becomes style, that is timeless.

Style is the message you send out to the world. “This is a taste of who I am!” it proclaims. And because of our social nature, the mere act of courageously making that proclamation is one which can bring about happiness and self-assurance. Harmonizing what you wear with your soul is a celebration of your existence, your memories, your love and appreciation. It encourages a sense of deep personal pride. Finding your style is like finding yourself, and that is a journey worth undertaking.

Be aware of how choosing to engage with fashion and establishing styles affects you on a physical, emotional, and psychological level. Be aware of how it affects others, their perceptions of you, and of the opportunities that arise from both looking and feeling great.

 

 

 5. The Projection of self in the environment

 Respect for oneself and paying attention to how our appearance affects those around us, are tools for our everyday happiness.

The benefits of being fashionable extend beyond the chemical processes of the brain, and into the social world. Like it or not, others make judgments about us in less than a second. Being aware of how we affect others with our appearance allows for something spectacular— an opportunity. Dress as if you expect to, whilst walking down the sidewalk, have a Lamborghini screech to a halt in front of you, the door flinging open to reveal a foreign monarch who demands that you show them the best of your city. After all, you never know when you may find yourself in a conversation with that executive who holds the power to get you that coveted raise or job position. Author Oscar Wilde was correct when he observed that, “You can never be overdressed or overeducated.”—this has proven to be absolutely true. Fashion is a language without words, which constantly communicates your story to the world. Do you know what’s yours saying about you?

 So, to wrap up: fashion in my opinion and for me is much more than the mere act of picking up clothes from a collection or blindly following a trend. It is more than a tool to manipulate others, it is a sense of my being, ultimately an expression of myself. Communicating who you are is always a satisfying and enriching experience because we are social beings. We strive to be known. We need to be known.

In the end, it isn’t enough to simply look nice. Confidence and happiness arise from within—they’re often locked inside our true selves, which lie in wait to be discovered. Great personal style is merely one of the results of purposeful understanding of our own lives. So look within, find your roots, and express them in a purposeful manner. Look at your own soul in the mirror, love it, smile and rejoice on being a Woman Like You!