The way we dress is thought to represent not only our individual personality, aspirations, values, and our culture, but the state of society collectively, too.
Although style is often fluid, progressive and ever-changing, our fashion choices may hint at certain personality traits and where the country (and even world) is headed. Indeed, in times of struggle and turbulence, analysts of trends have observed that clothes become more practical, durable and less frivolous.
But what do our fashion choices and the image we cultivate say about our personality? Let’s explore.
STYLE ESSENCE VS STYLE EXPRESSION
Style essence, unlike style expression, is about your core self. It’s what helps bring out your own unique personality and how this relates to who you are in the world. Style expression, on the other hand, is about how you dress which may be influenced by other factors such as the state of society and a rejection of conventional beauty standards. Only when the two are combined can a sense of rounded, fully-formed image cultivation occur.
Our style essence can therefore be expressed through how we dress; however, it may not always be truly ‘authentic’ – but that’s okay! Some may choose to channel clothing choices from the past, via a vintage style, whilst others may look forward to the future, going for a cutting edge aesthetic with a sense of optimism at its core. Others may zero in on individuality, opting for a personalised adult hoodie, self-printed T-shirt, sewn-on patches or even a whole home knitted sweatshirt.
Indeed, style is something that evolves with us throughout our lifetime, reflecting the ebbs and flows of the times.
Read: The seasonless wardrobe guide
NOT ONLY OUR CLOTHES
Our unique personal style isn’t only about our clothes. There are so many ways we can express our personality through the way we customise our look, too. Expression can be via gel nail polish, certain makeup styles, or even how we style our hair. Here are a few examples of self-expression through mediums other than clothing:
Make-up
Make-up can be used both for functional and expressive purposes. Often, it is simply used to cover imperfections and can often help to boost confidence, enabling people to feel as much like their idealised, true selves as possible. However, there is a lot more to makeup can do than this – in fact, it can be an art form.
Experimenting with different makeup styles can be fun and adventurous, whether that be through bold cut crease eyeshadow looks, or through a softer more romantic look. Makeup is flexible, helping you change your entire face for just an evening, if you so desire, and that’s what’s so great about it. Currently, we are seeing a comeback of thin Y2K eyebrows, which is a huge step away from the Glossier ‘Boy Brow’ which dominated the eyebrow trend for the last couple of years.
Hair
Believe it or not, your hairstyle can be used to express your personality in myriad ways, too. In the world of pop-psychology via Cosmopolitan, redheads are deemed fun-loving, curls are thought to indicate generosity, and medium length, natural hair can give off the sense you are a logical and straight-forward thinker.
Though there might be some truth in that, the way you style your hair can carry more functional purposes, able to emphasise and shape your facial features in a certain way to portray a certain mood or emotion. Or, your choice of hairstyle can be used to simply highlight elements of your face that you’re particularly keen to draw attention to.
Read: 5 timeless accessories IDEAL for framing your face
Hair colour also allows us to express ourselves and our feelings. In the last couple of years, we’ve seen people dye their tresses in blends of blue and green like a mermaid, rainbow-like pastel shades like a unicorn, and the most popular shade of the last couple of years; pink.
As Allure explains, pink is associated with various personality traits, including “gentleness, empathy, sensitivity, caring, sweetness, compassion, tenderness, nurturance, and deference.” The colour also offers a nugget of escapism. Who doesn’t need a little escapism, even at the best of times? And we’re sure you don’t need reminding that the last couple of years haven’t exactly been the best of times.
Nails
If you find that you don’t always have the time to express yourself through hair and makeup, painting your nails can be a great way to express your personality, too.
Long-lasting and surprisingly durable, an intricately designed set of nails can simply serve as a little reminder about who you are. For a classy look, opt for a nude nail, yet if you tend to channel a style which falls more on the eclectic side, you may go for bright neons and diamantes.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Being yourself should be the most important factor in determining how you dress. If you prefer little to no make-up, don’t feel pressured to start doing wild eyeshadow designs – and vice versa. Do not be afraid to express your true self through your daily image.
