Look at what you’re wearing right now. Why did you choose it? How do you decide what to wear every day? Do you wake up and wear whatever suits the mood you’re in at that moment? You may have heard it before and wondered why you need to dress for the mood you want.
To put it simply, moods are fickle and if you want to elevate your image, you have to dress purposefully.
You’ve heard something like this already…
I’m a big believer in the fact that how we look affects how we feel.
So I give you…why you need to dress for the mood you want (and not the mood you wake up in).
1. Dressing for a bad mood just perpetuates your bad mood.
If you feel crumby, wearing sweats will just make you feel…crumbier.
If you’re sick and staying in bed all day, that’s an exception.
Before I changed my diet last year and started feeling consistently amazing, there were plenty of days when I woke up feeling yucky, peckish or just “blah” and was tempted to cancel my appointment, skip out on my meeting or spend the day in front of the TV in my pajamas. 99% of the time, if I got up, got dressed in something I enjoyed wearing and went into my day expecting to feel better, I would.
Maybe it’s psychosomatic, I don’t know.
I say, only dress for a bad mood if you want to stay in a bad mood.
If you dress in a way that’s cheerful and happy, your feelings will follow.
2. When you dress for the mood you want, you are more confident and hold your head higher.
You know how it goes. The plain, quiet, wall flower-type girl has a guy best friend and all the sudden, once she gets a makeover, he’s interested in her in a romantic way.
It’s easy to accuse the guy of being shallow…but what if her physical transformation changed her on the inside, too, and THAT is what he is attracted to?? OR…the change in her appearance brought out an inner confidence that had been buried! A woman who dresses authentically and “owns” her style is hard to ignore, and hard to resist.
Which leads to…
3. You teach people how to treat you and part of that is represented in how you dress.
If you’ve ever woken up feeling lousy and put on your baggy jeans and black turtleneck, fully intending to wallow in your miserableness all day, is it any wonder when the person in front of you doesn’t hold the door open for you, the receptionist acts snippy toward you or your friend does nothing but complain during your entire lunch date?
You think, “Why does this day just keep getting worse??”
Conversely, when you dress in a way that says, “I’m friendly” or “I enjoy my life,” people smile at you more and go out of their way to be be nice to you.
It’s not them, it’s you.
People react to the vibes we give off, even if we’re not doing it intentionally.
Like it or not, when you dress better, you are treated better.
To extend this concept even further, if you find yourself having to defend yourself all the time, being taken advantage of or being talked down to on a regular basis…consider whether the way you typically look conveys a lack of confidence.
The harsh truth is, when you dress like a grown-up who’s got it together, that’s how people treat you. This isn’t limited to a few outfits, this is your LIFE. Just something to think about.
Big truth: when you dress for the mood you want, people treat you better.
4. How you dress makes a statement.
Are you saying, “You’re lucky I managed to roll out of bed this morning,” “I never learned how to dress myself after college,” “I wear what everyone else is wearing”….OR
“I have an attention to detail,” “I’m friendly,” or “I love my life!”?
Your image speaks long before you do.
If someone looked at you right now, what kind of mood would they think you’re in?
5. You can actually dress for your mood–and that’s FUN!
You may not always want to dress for a sunny, happy mood or a buttoned-up, professional mood…maybe you’re going for a more “artsy” vibe for a museum exhibition or a hippie vibe to go to the farmer’s market.
TV shows and movies are delightful for this reason–the characters always seem to have the perfect outfit for the occasion. In the mood to garden? Wear the cute overalls and the ruffled white blouse. In a beachy mood? Wear the long white skirt and a flower behind your ear. Going to a bachelorette party? Bring out your cute cocktail dress.
As practical as it is to stick to a uniform and a mix-and-match wardrobe, having fun with what you wear makes life more joyful and exciting.
If you try it, let me know how it goes! Tweet to tabithadumas or comment on the Facebook page.
What a great tool! Creating intention for a positive ‘tude by choosing clothing that points in a positive direction. I always ask to be guided in my thoughts, my words, and my actions. I will add a request to be guided in my wardrobe each day. Lovely idea!
I love your perspective of being guided. How delightful!! I’d love to know what you come up with! 🙂
As a writer who works at home, I practically live in sweat pants. But you have a point. When I know that I’m going to meet someone,, I dress up and do feel better about everything. After reading your blog, I’m inspired to make my casual wear a bit more cheerful. Thanks!
More cheerful casual wear, I looooove that!!! I’m the same way. I dress up when I know I’m seeing people and I do feel better!! Funny how that works. Thanks for reading!!
Hi Tabitha! Nice to meet you. Thank you for your tips today. I agree, it really does make a difference how one dresses in terms of colour and style as it affects attitude and confidence. It begs the question, “What message do you want to send to the world today?”I will keep these tips in mind! -Stacey
Hooray!!! I had great intentions to wear something colorful today but I ended up in gray, which is unusual for me. BUT, we were having a workshop in a coffee shop and it just felt right! My message was “comfy, carefree but still polished” 🙂
This is so true Tabitha. I always wear royal blue when I need a pick up – and to feel confident. I’m sharing this on my Facebook page.
Royal blue, I love that!! Thanks so much for commenting and sharing, it means so much!