I am a firm believer that our clothing and accessories are an extension of who we are and say more about us than we may even want them to. So, when I came across the book You Are What You Wear by Dr. Jennifer Baumgartner, I had to read it. I wanted to get a psychologist’s take on the subject. We all make judgements about people based on their appearance, whether we mean to or not, and whether those judgements are accurate or not. That is why it’s important to think about who we are portraying to the world when we get dressed in the morning. Yeah, yeah, it sounds superficial, but this book does a great job of connecting how our inner selves effect our outer selves.
“Our clothing is the physical representation of our perceptions, our dissatisfactions, and our desires.”
Baumgartner, Jennifer (2012-03-27). You Are What You Wear: What Your Clothes Reveal About You (Kindle Locations 191-192). Perseus Books Group. Kindle Edition.
While the book isn’t about shopping for ethically made clothing, the concept behind it relates to the choices we make when shopping. It’s so much easier to run to the mall to buy clothing than to take time to research what we want and where it comes from. One of the issues she covers is “what is fueling your urge to buy?” Shopping is an easy way to get instant gratification, but it doesn’t solve the underlying issues that causes us to need the “shopping high” in the first place. Often these impulse buys are accompanied by sales goggles, which leads to a frustrating, incongruent wardrobe. The time saved by running to the mall is lost again by hours trying to put together a decent outfit from your closet. Putting forethought into our purchases leads to a lot less frustration on a daily basis.
“… look at filling your closet the same way you would a savings account. Buying something at a discounted price does not necessarily mean that you have made a good investment. To actually save money and increase the amount that you have in your account, you must wear whatever you buy, and love it too. If you don’t wear it or love it, you have lost money from your account even if you got a “great deal.”
Baumgartner, Jennifer (2012-03-27). You Are What You Wear: What Your Clothes Reveal About You (Kindle Locations 595-598). Perseus Books Group. Kindle Edition.
One suggestion the author made that I LOVE is what she calls the “downgrade method” of organizing your wardrobe. A lot of us end up with really nice clothing that doesn’t get worn, because, well, it’s too nice! By downgrading the categories of clothing in our closet, we can avoid looking like a slob on the weekends and get use out of everything we buy. This alone would solve the world’s problem of people wearing PJ pants in public! The author explains how she did this with one of her clients:
“For example, she would normally wear a nice pair of jeans, sandals, and a tank a night out; now this outfit was moved down to “weekend casual.” Her flirty dress that she had been saving for formal wear was demoted to “night out.”
Baumgartner, Jennifer (2012-03-27). You Are What You Wear: What Your Clothes Reveal About You (Kindle Locations 468-469). Perseus Books Group. Kindle Edition.
Sounds great, but, what’s the point? The routine of life often leaves us unexcited about putting on something nice. It can seem like putting so much effort into what we wear takes waaaay too much thought each day. But, it really doesn’t when we do the “thought” work before we even make a purchase. When our closet is full of clothing that we know we feel good about, and there is congruency in our wardrobe, it doesn’t take much work to throw an outfit together. Plus, having a wardrobe that excites us can make our routines seem a little less routine. The author states that it’s important to accept who we are now, while also challenging ourselves to take steps toward who we want to become.
“Identify who you want to be: Life is more exciting when you have room to expand. Desiring something better is the driving force for most lives. This is especially exciting when you try to amp up your wardrobe with pieces that refine your look. Your desire for something better shouldn’t end with your closet. After examining who you are in your current life, make a plan for who you want to be and put it in writing.”
Baumgartner, Jennifer (2012-03-27). You Are What You Wear: What Your Clothes Reveal About You (Kindle Locations 2610-2613). Perseus Books Group. Kindle Edition.
What we wear is our billboard to the world. It should connect with our values, beliefs, and goals. The majority of people will not connect our clothing with our values, but it is part of being who we are, inside and out.
“Your “costume” is your external appearance, which should match all that you are and all that you want to be.”
Baumgartner, Jennifer (2012-03-27). You Are What You Wear: What Your Clothes Reveal About You (Kindle Location 2635). Perseus Books Group. Kindle Edition.
