Articles, Fashion

Clothes Can Be More Then Fabric

Clothes Can Be More Than Fabric
  • Clothes Can Be More Then Fabric

Despite bipolar weather trends, I’m sure you are all aware that Spring has finally arrived. And what happens in Spring? Spring Cleaning! This is a magical, happy time where we go through our closets, donate anything we haven’t worn in awhile, find fun new additions to our wardrobe, and create some organization in our living spaces and lives. Right? No. Most of the time, the words “Spring Cleaning” are followed by groans: It takes too long. I will never be organized. I don’t have the time to go through all my stuff. I like all of my clothes, whether I wear them or not. I don’t want to be reminded that I can’t fit into those jeans any more. Thoughts such as these reflect society’s determinations about who we should be, what clothes we should wear, and how our closets (and our selves) should look. In this article, I intend to show you how your closet can be a place of self-expression and confidence, as I believe that when we allow society to determine what our closet looks like, we limit our ability to express ourselves confidently.

How many times have you hopelessly watched a trendy girl walk through the mall, desperately wishing you looked like her, dressed like her, or had some feature she possessed? How many times have you said to yourself, “I will never look like that,” or “I could never pull that off?” I am definitely guilty of that comparison, and I am willing to bet that you are, too. But why is this the case for so many girls? Why do we want to be someone we are not? What makes us envious of trendy girls in the mall?

I believe that we envy the girl who is fashionable, quirky, and edgy not because we are jealous of her attire, but because we are jealous of her self-confidence.

Take a look at these pictures:

What do all of these women (appear to) have in common? They know who they are, and they are comfortable with sharing it with the world! They wear what reflects their lifestyles, their passions, their dreams, and their ambitions. They express themselves and their personalities through their clothing, and even if their styles are not cohesive to our own, we appreciate the beauty portrayed through their creative confidence.

Kids are the perfect example of beautifully creative self-expression. Why? Because they are not worried about being “judged.” When they like something, they wear it, no matter what it is or who is watching. They let their personalities and their dreams shine through their clothing. And it rocks!

Let me show you what I mean….

Just like these kids, we need to take time without distractions to discover who we really are. Each one of us has unique attributes and passions, and I am afraid that we are falling into the black hole of “sameness,” of being afraid to be different. It is time we stop hiding and be the individuals we long express with the world. A quote from Bob Dylan comes to mind: “The highest purpose of art is to inspire. What else can you do? What else can you do for anyone but inspire them?” Our lives (and our wardrobes) are like easels ready to become masterpieces. Are you going to paint the same picture as the person next to you? Each one of us holds our own brush. How will you use it to inspire the world? Because who you truly are is inspiring.

So we must ask ourselves: What are my core beliefs? What am I truly passionate about? What do I love? What are my favorite things? What is my style? What am I naturally good at? What are my quirks? What are my dreams and goals? We must stop copying the trends of others. The trends of what they wear, what they eat, and what they do. As cheesy as it sounds, you are your own person. What works for someone else may not work for you. So if you love something, be it. Do it. Dream it. Live it. Wear it. Don’t worry about comparison. Add these dreams and ambitions to your closet, because clothes can be more than fabric.

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