We have all had those days or events when we’ve dressed to impress. Who hasn’t? But take a moment to truly think about how many times someone or something else has determined the outfit you sport or the style you embrace. And no, the gorgeous USC baseball player who is way out of your league does not count. (In other words, he is Division I and you are Division III.)
Dressing to Impress Other Girls
At first, you might be in denial about this fact. But that’s just it – a fact. Every girl has done it and every girl will do it. Whether it be the girl your ex-boyfriend is now dating, the girl your wanna be boyfriend is dating, or the girl you just seem to be competing with, you have compared yourself to another girl at some point in time.
Unfortunately, we girls don’t realize the harmful nature this whole comparison business can have on us and our peers. When we compare ourselves to others, we usually find all possible faults in both the other girl and ourselves. That is not doing anyone a favor.
This comparison can and will also lead you to make conscious decisions and often changes to your dress and style. You might swap out the oversized sorority T for a cute dress or boots for tennis shoes. But the greatest example of this happens on the ever exciting game days. I don’t know if you have noticed but on campus, at the tailgates, in the student section, and afterwards, girls are constantly sizing up other girls. (It’s honestly surprising how many variations of a black dress and cowboy boots you can find at Williams-Brice.) But why does it matter what the other girl is wearing?
Dressing to Impress Guys
This is the obvious one. Knowing we are going to run into that certain someone is the perfect excuse to dress it up a little, add some lip gloss, and let your hair down. But often the transformation doesn’t stop there. So often we dress to impress the opposite sex by degrading ourselves – raising the hemline or lowering the neckline. It’s a sensitive topic, yes. But it’s even more of a serious issue if that’s not the real you. Trust me, if they don’t like you for you, they aren’t worth it.
Dress For YOU
This seems to be a novel concept these days. In a world of trends, fads, in crowds, and certain deciding factors, dressing for yourself kinda seems impossible. Even media screams their own opinions for girls to dress to impress. But in the end, you should be dressing for you and you alone.
When it comes to fashion, my favorite approach is to wear all my favorite things. Although this is slightly extreme, the point is to wear what you want how you want. No particular person should have the ability to change who you are as a young woman.
Remember:
This is in no way giving you permission to forget about style altogether. On college campuses, girls dressed in sweats with an apparent need for a shower is an all too familiar image. Bottom line – take pride in who you are by dressing the part. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again….you’re style speaks for itself. So what is it saying about you? Are you trying to impress someone other than yourself?
