If you’re confident in your appearance, you must be comfortable wearing whatever you like.
And if you’re comfortable wearing anything, you must be super confident.
Right?
Hmmm.
I don’t think it’s as simple as that.
And let me tell you why (that’s why you’re here, afterall).
A couple of weeks ago I spoke about nudity on my Instagram. More specifically, the exploitation and sexualization of the female body and the impact this has on women.
We can feel confident in our bodies, but uncomfortable displaying nudity because of the potential repercussions.
We do not live in a judgement-free world.
People have an opinion about everything, and it ain’t easy to ignore those opinions.
My Instagram post opened the door to some insightful, interesting conversations, and I wanted to continue that conversation today.
But I don’t want to talk about nudity and its correlation to confidence without comfort. I want to talk about these feelings when it comes to fashion.
Fashion is assumed to be a way of expressing ourselves.
Some believe clothes define your style, which defines your personality, which defines your outlook of the world.
But this can lead to you dressing in a way that tries to prove a point rather than showing who you really are.
If you try too hard to prove you’re daring and rebellious, you’ll lose yourself in a sea of short skirts, fishnets and black eyeliner.
Is that really the style you’re going for? Or do you just want to prove to people you’re “different”.
If you’re not big on following fashion trends and you have your own unique look, people will take an interest (and it isn’t always going to be a positive).
You’ll turn heads, encourage whispers in the coffee shop, and maybe a few trolls on social media.
Should this stop you from wearing what you want to wear? No.
However, you shouldn’t feel like you have to say “fuck the haters” and wear what you want if these things make you uncomfortable.
You don’t have to prove anything to anyone.
And it’s ok to not want people talking about you. It’s normal to prefer when people don’t troll you.
There’s no point in putting on an outfit you love, then going somewhere and feeling completely uncomfortable whilst wearing it.
It defeats the purpose of your kickass outfit.
This isn’t you bowing down, or allowing others to dictate what you do.
It’s about knowing yourself, being confident about who you are, and being ok with keeping those things to yourself sometimes.
Confidence looks different on everybody.
It doesn’t always mean you say exactly what’s on your mind, or wear the most outrageous outfit you own, or show your ass on the internet.
Sometimes, confidence means acknowledging you gotta follow the rules sometimes. Conforming is not always a negative thing. And going with the crowd can be the best route.
Don’t lose yourself following others. But don’t confuse who you really are by always trying to stand out.
What truly makes you stand out is being your most authentic self.
And THAT is the key to confidence with comfort.
Strength In Style,
Stefi