Dressin up matters because...
1. Your look is your identity
You want it or not, the way you look and what you wear is a part of who you are. It is the first thing people see as well as how they recognise you from other people. The way you look is a part of you dreams and hopes. It tells about your wishes, view of life and has hidden stories which even you can't always spot. The way we look is like a web of secrets, untold tales which enters the world in a from of outfits, messy hair and polished shoes. Just watch people in the streets and you'll realize that expectations, good or bad, funny or boring, are often based on people's appearances. I mean, how many times have you judged a stranger in a street?
2. It is all the way fun and games
Anyone who hasn't ever had a full dressing up experience is missing a seriously fun part of living because dressin up, in my mind, is about making a little fool out of yourself and having that short selfcare moment that everyone talks about nowdays. It's about finding that perfect outfit after multiple fails, it's about singing along to your favorite songs, jumping down from the shelfs to a mountain of pillows and dancing around in shoes you never wear out. Dressing up is like looking out to the neverending sea from an open window that has white, flowy curtains, it's like eating colorfull sweets that stains you tonge and pretening you understand the singing of birds... But, most of all, dressing up is about the extraordinary feeling of transformation.
"I don't understand how a woman
can leave the house wihtout
fixing herself up a little
- if only out of politeness
and then, you never know
maybe that's the day
she has a date with destiny.
And it is best to be as pretty as possible for destiny"
– Coco Chanel
3. It's a part of good manners
This is especially important if you couldn't care less how you look, like on a level "I don't care enough to shower". Because, being at least presentable amongst others is more so a matter of politeness and respect other than style. And of course, this doesn't in any way mean you can't experiment with your style or be a little crasy or have that moment when you just want to survive through the day. This means normal human actions such as clean clothes and everyday hygienia. I know, most of you probably think that those things are obvious but for some they actually aren't. So next time you walk out the door check you don't have a full menu dripping down your shirt.
4. You don't want to insult anyone's religion, culture or party for that matter
Another thing is to find out what is appropriate to wear in different events, parties or cultures. Trust me there is nothing worst than insulting someone's culture by not taking their traditions into consideration or arriving at a party totally under dressed. I know, it seems like a no big deal but I promes you'll feel 100% more comfortable when you're dressed accordingly. Therefore, don't be embarrassed to ask help or do some research.
5. The way we dress up is an important cultural mirror and a historical source
Wheter, it is a time to have fun, relax, meditate or put up a show people have always loved clothes, makeup and new haircuts. The way you look used to be an important sign of status and still in some ways is. What you wear tells, where you come from, which groups or political parties you belong in and possibly your place in the society. And more or less reflects the conditions of which we're living in as well as the phenomenons of a certain time. Without the ability to understand history and different cultural challenges before us, we cannot fully understand why certain people dress in a certain way today, why you have to wear certain type of clothes to a certain event or why a desingner made this type of collection when she/he said to have been inspired by the magnificence of baroque palaces.
Shortly, dressing in a particular way is like having an ingredients list glued onto your forehead.
Thank you so much for reading!
Siiri