Five Reasons Why You Shouldn't "Dress Your Body Type"
Surprise, surprise, I don't like rules. Fashion is such a beautiful way to express yourself, and I'm not fond of ways of limiting ourselves through clothing or accessories. Here are five reasons why I believe that you shouldn't dress your body type.
1- You are limiting yourself to just a body
If you only get dressed based on what your body looks like, you are reducing your whole existence to just a body. When you objectify your body and see it only for its aesthetic value, you are not appreciating everything else it does for you. You are more than your body, but your body is also more than how it looks.
2 - You are not showing your personality
When you focus on what your body looks like, you use the beauty standard as a reference. This means covering and "correcting" what you've been told is wrong. That doesn't leave any space to express who you are on the inside and takes your personality and values away from your outfits.
3 - You are restricting creativity
Dressing up is fun. It's a creative process involving colours, patterns and textures. Regardless of how artistic you consider yourself, putting outfits together allows you to be creative and try new combinations with the items you already own. Following rigid formulas takes all of this away.
4 - You are reinforcing the idea that we have to follow a beauty standard
When you dress for your body type, it typically implies creating the illusion of an hourglass shape or inverted triangle:
This only pays attention to the female/male gender duality, which is non-inclusive.
It tells you your body is wrong unless you already have the body type trending at the time.
It says you should alter your body with clothing, so your body isn't considered good when you are naked and take the illusion away.
Beauty standards constantly change, and every body type is worthy and valid. There's so much power in accepting who you are, including accepting your body, which is your home and where you live.
5 - You are not embracing your uniqueness
Fashion is self-expression, a way to show the world who you are. Your clothes and style tell a story, and you have the power to choose what to say. What's different is exciting and helps you connect with your tribe. Why hide under restrictive rules that only look to create uniformity when you can shine being you?
