comfort or conformity?>
“Style is a way to say who you are without having to speak” – Rachel Zoe // stylist, editor and designer
“Style is what one creates… glamour is a state of mind” – Rachel Zoe
“Fashions fade, style is eternal” – Yves Saint Laurent
Comfort or conformity? - How to be yourself in a world that wants you to look like everyone else
Do you find it difficult to keep up with the ever-changing fashion trends? Is your wardrobe growing and your money disappearing, and you still can’t find an outfit to wear?
If you can relate to these common queries, you are not the only one. Many young girls feel the constant pressure to keep up with fashion trends, wear what their friends are wearing and what they see in magazines. According to the American Pew Internet Research Project, 95% of teenage girls use the internet daily, meaning that they are constantly seeing advertisements, articles and photos of their friends or celebrities wearing the latest trends. I don’t know about you, but I think this puts an enormous amount of pressure on teen girls to change themselves to look like others.
Does this sound right or natural? Of course not! Teenage girls are most vulnerable when they are discovering who they are, so obviously companies are targeting them for their money. These days, fashion companies are so desperate for money and are running low on new ideas that they are releasing clothes despite how uncomfortable they are. Unfortunately, a famous person always ends up wearing this article of clothing, therefore starting yet another un-classy fashion trend. This is great for the companies selling the clothes, yet unfortunate for the young girls that feel obliged to wear something to a party to impress their friends. Don’t know what I’m talking about? Here are some examples of bad fashion trends that have caught on over the past two years:
Are girls getting confused about the seasons? What is up with this trend? It all started when teenage girls started jokingly uploading pictures online of them and their friends wearing shorts with Ugg boots. Unfortunately, someone thought it was a good idea to wear outside and it caught on…
These are the ugly sandals that you see everywhere but never quite knew what they were called. These “shoes” are uncomfortable, easily damaged and make girls walk funny.
Not only do velvet clothes make you look like you live with Dracula, they are uncomfortable and incredibly itchy!
This trend popped out of nowhere in April 2014 when teenage girls started wearing colourful, glittery, plastic jelly shoes. Leave these for the 2 year-olds.
How is anyone expected to wear these platform shoes? A pair of stiletto heels would be much more comfortable
Ripped jeans were cool before they looked like your cat attacked them. What happened to the good old days when ripped jeans just had a few small rips?
Some other examples are – crop tops and high waisted shorts, massive fur coats, fake “nerd” glasses, denim “shorts” that are way too short, peplum dresses and low parachute pants.
Don’t feel obliged to wear these ugly, expensive and uncomfortable clothes. And what even is the gain from doing so? In the best case scenario, you end up looking like everyone else.
Instead, save your money and wear things that you already have in your wardrobe. These timeless items are always good to rely on:
“Why do we respect stylish people? Because we see the person instead of their body”
So if you really think about it, dressing fashionably costs money, is uncomfortable, is ever-changing and worst of all, it’s not you! In order to dress stylishly and really start feeling good about yourself, you have to keep in mind that self-expression, individuality and comfort are the most important things.
The bottom line is, what you wear is a form of self-expression and the clothes you wear become a part of who you are rather than someone else’s vision of you.
Written by Marie Lebourdais
Do you find it difficult to keep up with the ever-changing fashion trends? Is your wardrobe growing and your money disappearing, and you still can’t find an outfit to wear?
If you can relate to these common queries, you are not the only one. Many young girls feel the constant pressure to keep up with fashion trends, wear what their friends are wearing and what they see in magazines. According to the American Pew Internet Research Project, 95% of teenage girls use the internet daily, meaning that they are constantly seeing advertisements, articles and photos of their friends or celebrities wearing the latest trends. I don’t know about you, but I think this puts an enormous amount of pressure on teen girls to change themselves to look like others.
Does this sound right or natural? Of course not! Teenage girls are most vulnerable when they are discovering who they are, so obviously companies are targeting them for their money. These days, fashion companies are so desperate for money and are running low on new ideas that they are releasing clothes despite how uncomfortable they are. Unfortunately, a famous person always ends up wearing this article of clothing, therefore starting yet another un-classy fashion trend. This is great for the companies selling the clothes, yet unfortunate for the young girls that feel obliged to wear something to a party to impress their friends. Don’t know what I’m talking about? Here are some examples of bad fashion trends that have caught on over the past two years:
- Wearing shorts in winter with Ugg boots
Are girls getting confused about the seasons? What is up with this trend? It all started when teenage girls started jokingly uploading pictures online of them and their friends wearing shorts with Ugg boots. Unfortunately, someone thought it was a good idea to wear outside and it caught on…
- “Lily” shoes
These are the ugly sandals that you see everywhere but never quite knew what they were called. These “shoes” are uncomfortable, easily damaged and make girls walk funny.
- Velvet clothes
Not only do velvet clothes make you look like you live with Dracula, they are uncomfortable and incredibly itchy!
- Jelly shoes
This trend popped out of nowhere in April 2014 when teenage girls started wearing colourful, glittery, plastic jelly shoes. Leave these for the 2 year-olds.
- Platform shoes with completely flat soles
How is anyone expected to wear these platform shoes? A pair of stiletto heels would be much more comfortable
- Incredibly ripped jeans with patches missing from them
Ripped jeans were cool before they looked like your cat attacked them. What happened to the good old days when ripped jeans just had a few small rips?
Some other examples are – crop tops and high waisted shorts, massive fur coats, fake “nerd” glasses, denim “shorts” that are way too short, peplum dresses and low parachute pants.
Don’t feel obliged to wear these ugly, expensive and uncomfortable clothes. And what even is the gain from doing so? In the best case scenario, you end up looking like everyone else.
Instead, save your money and wear things that you already have in your wardrobe. These timeless items are always good to rely on:
- Jeans
- Little black dress
- Converse
- High heels
- Ballet flats
- Scarves
- Sweaters
- Cardigans
“Why do we respect stylish people? Because we see the person instead of their body”
So if you really think about it, dressing fashionably costs money, is uncomfortable, is ever-changing and worst of all, it’s not you! In order to dress stylishly and really start feeling good about yourself, you have to keep in mind that self-expression, individuality and comfort are the most important things.
The bottom line is, what you wear is a form of self-expression and the clothes you wear become a part of who you are rather than someone else’s vision of you.
Written by Marie Lebourdais