As women, we often maintain a love-hate relationship with clothes. We all love outfits that make us feel gorgeous... but so often, we think our clothes do the opposite. From thinking we look fat to assuming we can't wear a certain shape or color, we drag our insecurities into our closets and dressing rooms every day.
But wouldn't getting dressed be so much better if we didn't? So we're going out on a limb and challenging ourselves to banish these sentences from our fashion experiences. Here are 6 things that we should stop saying when we're getting dressed.
"Does this make me look fat?" No, it doesn't. An outfit can't give you a body you don't have. It may be unflattering, but that's not reason to think there's something wrong with your body -- it's just a reason to try a different outfit.
"I can't wear halters -- I've got man shoulders." Or "I can't wear skirts because my calves are huge." Or, "I can't wear tank tops because my arms are chubby." Stop focusing on the negative and wear what you want to wear. If you feel good in it, wear it, no matter what size your limbs are.
"This would look better on someone with smaller hips." Or smaller breasts. Or bigger breasts. That may or may not be true, but unfortunately you can't change your body shape as easily as you can swap that size 6 for a size 8. Just try a different size or a different cut -- that's a lot easier (and more productive) than day-dreaming about changing bodies with a skinnier friend.
"I'm too old to wear this." As well-dressed women such as Helen Mirren, Susan Sarandon and Meryl Streep have proven, age does not dictate style. If you feel comfortable in a tank top and like the way you look, go for it. If you love that asymmetrical hem dress, try it out -- if you feel good in it, it probably looks good.
"It would fit if I just lost weight." That might be true, but it just means you're wearing the wrong size. Clothing isn't there to shame you or make you feel bad about yourself -- on the contrary, it should make you feel good. So stop obsessing in a too-small size and embrace something that truly fits.
"I can't wear this color." Or "This color washes me out." Or "I need a tan to wear this." It's true that there are some colors that are more or less flattering on certain skin tones, but don't feel hemmed in to segments of the rainbow. Love orange? Try a burnt orange rather than a neon. You can probably wear more colors than you think.
When in doubt, just try these:
