Amidst a slew of stress inducing tension in the world, rallying to get ready in the morning has become a difficult task for many of us. With that in mind, I wanted to discuss how clothing affects your confidence and how you can use it to boost your mood during trying times.
Your clothing affects your confidence, and if you feel good about yourself, you’ll be able to put the best version of yourself out into the world. Sometimes it just takes a great outfit to give you the confidence to get up and do something productive. In pre pandemic times, I would always promote getting fully dressed in the morning, but with everything going on and many people still working from home full time, something as simple as putting on a nice top or doing your hair can make a difference. Here are four ways clothing affects your confidence.
Your clothing can positively change your body image
It’s all about how clothing fits and how it makes you feel. Clothing affects your confidence, so it’s important to highlight the parts of your body you love most. This can help improve your body image. Even if you’re staying home consider dressing in clothing that is flattering. If you’re attending a video conference meeting, opt for a blouse, button down shirt, or another item of clothing that makes you feel put together instead of wearing the same sweatshirt you’ve been sitting in for days. It’s a simple switch that will immediately make you appear more professional and more authoritative. By swapping in a blazer, sweater, or blouse, you will appear more polished on your video call, which may lift your spirits and increase your productivity.
Your clothing allows you to change how people see you
It’s really empowering when you realize that you control how people see you and what image you put out there.
Whether or not it’s right, it’s human nature to judge others based on their clothing and appearance. Since this is a known fact (people with straight teeth are considered more successful upon initial impression), take advantage of this and dress in a way that makes you feel strong, powerful, and valuable.
Think about how often we judge people almost immediately based on their appearance. Clothing is a tool which can help you take control of how people see you and manipulate their viewpoint. Do you want to appear as a strong, knowledgeable, and confident individual? Your clothing can help with that!
In Jennifer J. Baumgartner’s book, You are what You Wear: What Your Clothes Reveal about You, she explains that, “Our closets are windows into our internal selves. Every one of us attempts to say or hide something in the way we wear our clothes.” Use your clothing to positively affect your confidence by taking the opportunity to show people who you are and what kind of person you want to be.
Your clothing enables you to strive towards your goals
There’s something empowering about dressing “up.” It changes your demeanor and studies have shown that it influences the way we think. I often tell clients to dress up for phone interviews, because it makes a difference in how you think and how you speak.
We’re often able to think more clearly and efficiently when dressed in workwear because it differentiates us from a more laid back and social environment in which one would wear casual clothing. During a time when many of us are spending most of our time at home, differentiating between work time and time to relax is more important than ever. Changing out of pajamas and into “work clothes” can help with this distinction, even if you’re still maintaining your comfort by wearing leggings.
Dressing well based on your body forces you to be more mindful
Dressing well based on your body, what flatters your figure, and what makes you feel confident actually forces you to be more mindful. When you strive to be mindful about one aspect of your life (in this case style) you will likely become more mindful as a whole.
If you dress mindfully and in a way that makes you feel confident, you will be able to communicate more effectively and command more respect. Plus, studies have shown that the act of dressing to impress can enhances people’s ability to engage in abstract thinking.
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When you’re wondering how your clothing affects your confidence, think about how you want people to see you, how you want to portray yourself to the world, and how efficient you want to be. Dressing in a way that makes you feel good about yourself can help you start the day on a positive note, and can help boost your mood in a time when you might need it most.