I have been really obsessed with Carol Tuttle's Dressing Your Truth series for the past few months and am learning a lot from it. This doesn't necessarily mean I agree with her assessment of female beauty, but her videos, books, and site are food for thought.
One of her videos addresses the fact that people judge your appearance and mannerisms both consciously and subconsciously, and while this is not a reason to change who you are, it is an opportunity to showcase yourself as you desire-in other words, to show who you really are and not mask or twist it.
This is such a neat subject because meeting new people is an everyday occurrence. It is impossible to know what people think of you, and maybe thinking about it isn't important, but there is something to be said for presentation (a fun art form). For instance, my husband does not care at all what others think of his appearance and so he wears whatever clothes are comfortable, cheap, usually unfashionable, and, as far as possible, inconspicuous. This shows people what kind of person he is-one who doesn't mind what others think of him. On second inspection one would notice the stains, threadbare condition, shapelessness, and holes. This clues others in to the fact that he also doesn't prize cleanliness or replace worn out items. This could mean he is a slob, careless, or oblivious to his surroundings and/or person. I, on the other hand, do care about being fashionable and looking the best that I can, but I do not dress as such. One might guess from my old faded tee shirts and cheap jeans uniform that I am either: very cheap, poor, trashy, don't care, am oblivious, a slob, am making a political statement, or have given up because of my weight, mental problems, or business. The real reasons are that I don't want to spend money on clothes because shopping is stressful, and often unfruitful, for an overweight person. If I'd follow my own advice I would take the time to shop right but then I remember I don't have the money to go buy a wardrobe or the patience to buy a piece at a time. And so, I remain the same.
My wardrobe might also make me look older than I am. It doesn't tell anyone if I am chipper, intelligent, or kind. It would be neat to reveal these traits to others through color, line, texture, and accessories, wouldn't it? My husband's clothes tell people he is laid back, but mine don't because women wear these sort of clothes for different (and more varied) reasons than men do.
There is another problem. I don't know my own personality, and neither do you. We are too complex as individuals to pigeonhole ourselves into any one type (such as animated, calm, fiery, or careful) because we are a combination of all. It may be possible to pick the one you are the most, but then you'd be untrue to the rest of you. Carol says to pick your primary and secondary types (as defined by her), and then dress 3/4 as your primary, and the rest as your secondary, per outfit.
I don't know what I think of this solution, for obvious reasons. Her type system is sure to be flawed somewhere. Is it correct enough to adhere to? You'd have to decide for yourself. It is an interesting attempt to help women " dress their truth." But let's analyze.
It might help to write down a list of your attributes and imagine what kind of clothes a person having each trait would wear. See if there is a trend and if you even like those types of clothes. It wouldn't make sense to fight against your inclinations because wearing clothes you are uncomfortable in, no matter if they "fit" your "type," is ludicrous. True, you are making assumptions about what kind of clothes certain types wear, but overall, fashion has been in its current incarnation for so long that trends between artists, and etc...are manifest.
Next, you could check your findings against someone who might be able to substantiate your found pattern. If you enjoy the label, you may start wielding it at your leisure, remembering to sparingly incorporate any other clothes you like.
Tell me what you find!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment