By Aarav Khunger
Who doesn’t love a compliment?
Let me start simply by saying that it’s only natural for a teenager to crave for attention. One of the ways a teenager can fulfill that desire is by dressing well, but, today, one can never be sure whether what they chose will be appreciated by the others.
Looking at the way others dress can make you self-conscious about how presentable you look and could force you to not feel confident enough to approach them. This is something that will heavily influence your mindset and how you look at yourself as a person, and you will start to think that your personality is what prevents you from coping with others.
In this way, clothing is an extension of “fitting in society”, and it can be a major factor in one’s mental well being. Today, we are going to dive deeper into why this thought is shared by so many and how you should be happy with who you are without the fear of judgement. For this, we must first dive into the causes and effects of this kind of stress.
Clothing is a major factor of self consciousness and, therefore, stress. Being anxious can cause your self esteem to reduce and the feeling of being an outsider to set in; this is very harmful for your mental well-being as your fundamental need to associate with others is constantly overhead yet remains unfulfilled out of fear of judgement.
Certain gender stereotypes also cloud the judgement of those looking to wear something; although that problem has significantly reduced in some cases, it is still valid in many aspects of life. Earrings for example have been something that some males prefer but tend to be associated with feminine characters, which is wrong as people can have a taste in many things and their gender or sexual orientation should not decide their interests.
Being able to fit in your old clothes can also be a point of concern for many as it’s a sign of potential weight gain; this can seriously harm your morals and reduce self esteem, two things that we would like to remain strong and positive in everyday life.
Through these perspectives, the solution is clear. The first step toward reducing the stress that is caused by clothing choices is to break the barriers of societal dress codes for genders. Anyone should be allowed to wear anything they wish, and the friends that they make or people they socialize with should form relationships on the terms of personality—not looks.
The next thing that people must realize is that if you’re happy with how you dress or look, then that’s all that matters. You shouldn’t worry about what others feel or have to say about it because a true companion and anyone that really matters will see through what you wear. And that’s what counts.
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Sources
(www.dw.com), Deutsche Welle. “How Fashion Impacts Our Mental Wellbeing: DW: 24.09.2019.” DW.COM, www.dw.com/en/how-fashion-impacts-our-mental-wellbeing/a-50562794.
Davis, Jeanie Lerche. “How You React to Stress May Affect How Your Clothes Fit.” WebMD, WebMD, 16 Jan. 2001, www.webmd.com/balance/stress-management/news/20010116/how-you-react-to-stress-may-affect-how-your-clothes-fit#1.