Dress to Express Yourself

I’m guessing you remember the TV show “What Not To Wear” starring Stacy London and Clinton Kelly. If not, or as a refresher, people would nominate a friend or relative for a surprise makeover, and Clinton and Stacy would arrive to go through their entire wardrobe, tell them all the things they were doing wrong, then take them shopping and get their hair and makeup done for a big reveal at the end.

On the one hand, it was fun to watch and occasionally inspiring, but when I really think about what it must have felt like to be the person whose co-workers or children thought they were a train wreck who had let themselves go and needed help . . . Well. I mean, just imagine finding out that’s what everyone’s been saying behind your back.

Even if it turned out to be a good intervention overall, I imagine that it was tremendously confronting and upsetting for most of those people. Can you imagine someone walking into your closet, throwing your clothes around, telling you that you look terrible in them, and then noting that your boobs are sagging and your hair needs help?

Here’s the thing, girlfriend.

If any of this is true for us, then WE KNOW THIS ALREADY.

For example, I was just about due for a hair appointment when the New Jersey salons were shut down. They reopened last week, and I made an appointment before that happened but still . . . I am still three weeks away from any hair assistance. (Having made it this far, I can hold off on any self-help attempts.)

I am aware that my Büstenhaltern need replacing. There are a few of them that are so stretched out and sweat-stained and what have you that they probably shouldn’t be called “bras” any longer, but are more like filthy half-shirts.

And due to a recent bout of poison ivy that somehow got on and around my left boob (no, I was not frolicking outside nekkid. This time), I spent a few days last week completely braless, which is not a great look. I completely understand why Clinton Kelly and Stacy London always made such a big deal about proper bras. Bosom lines may have gone up and down over the decades, but NOBODY should be wearing theirs that low. (And yes, they also “wobble to and fro.”)

Maybe you have some of the same issues, or perhaps yours are a bit different.

It could be that you don’t feel great in some of the clothes you own. Maybe you don’t like the way you look in some things, and only glance in the mirror to make sure your parts are covered. Perhaps the clothes are too baggy. Or too tight. The colors are bland or boring or just not the sort of thing that lights you up. Your shoes are either worn out or not worn at all. Your jewelry and other accessories could use some attention. Your face cream may need to be replaced or upgraded, your makeup is how old, and so forth.

Let’s face it, if you are anything at all like me and every other woman I know, you KNOW that you need to take better care of yourself, whether it’s what you drink, what you eat, how much sleep you (don’t) get, what you do for exercise, or what you put on your skin, hair, and body.

If I had to guess

If I had to guess, I’d guess that you wear the same thing almost every day.

Oh, not the SAME “same thing”, but some version of a uniform. Jeans and a t-shirt. Yoga pants and a hoodie. A tank top with shorts; add a caftan if you feel fancy.

Not even ten years ago, my uniform was a V-neck t-shirt and jeans or denim capris. Possibly a long-sleeved T-shirt (or equivalent sweater) with a shawl-collar sweater over top if it was winter. They weren’t cute jeans that flattered my figure. They weren’t cute T-shirts, really, either. They were just what I found on sale at Target.

That is not a knock on Target. I love Target, and their T-shirts are pretty well-made. It’s just that my choices were bland and boring. I dressed in suburban, middle class, middle-aged lady camouflage. Not only did I blend in with the other ladies in my peer group, but I felt (and for many purposes was) invisible.

When I started my personal journey back to myself, I started to reassess my choices. At the time, I was writing a lot of poetry, and I talked about my appearance in a poem called “Frump,” which I mentioned in last week’s post. You can find the whole poem in the forthcoming issue of Mantra Wellness Magazine, and I’m going to send it out tomorrow to everyone on my email list as well. (In a format that is suitable for printing and framing, no less.)

Call to ACTION

Starting July 30th, I want to challenge you to reassess your appearance. To reclaim your zest, to bring back your zing, to fill up on FUN again.

Join my four-day challenge starting on July 30th and ending on August 2nd to guide you through your wardrobe, skin- and hair-care, makeup/toiletries, and shoes and accessories.

Plan on decluttering the stuff that makes you feel frumpy or frazzled, and on having fun playing with the things that make you feel FINE.

It’s going to be LIGHT. It’s going to be FUN. IT’S GOING TO BE LIT.

If you want in (and you KNOW you want in), it’s entirely FREE! Jump over to this landing page and enter your email so you get the daily emails for this challenge. And invite all your girlfriends, because it’s gonna be a party!!