Is your body image getting in the way of you embracing your personal style?

Written By Morgan Spittal

Does this scene sound familiar? You come across this dress just love, but inside your head you hear… “I can’t wear that because of my insert body insecurity here” (eg it’s sleeveless and I hate my shoulders!).

This is just another sneaky way that our societies obsession with the thin ideal, fatphobia and body shaming come into our lives.

Embracing personal style isn’t just about looking good, it’s about feeling good which influences your mood, mindset and how you carry yourself with confidence.

You should be able to dress in a way that makes you feel great, regardless of the clothing size you wear.

Dopamine dressing is “a concept that refers to the practice of choosing clothing and accessories that boost your mood and increase your happiness.”. Choose Bright Colors, Bold Patterns, Personal Expression, Comfort and Fit and Positive Associations. Dopamine dressing is a simple yet effective way to use fashion as a tool for enhancing your mental and emotional well-being.

“As the fashion industry continues to shed outdated norms and cater to the modern day, it’s vital to consider different body types when designing clothes. Otherwise, a substantial part of the population is left out, and everyone deserves to shop for clothes that make them feel great.”

Straight-sized clothing refers to apparel designed to fit individuals whose body sizes and shapes fall within the industry-standard size range. Typically, straight-sized clothing includes sizes from 6 to 16 (in NZ).

“Many brands offer clothing up to a size 14 or 16, yet size 16 is the average clothing size for New Zealand women.”

Understanding straight-sized clothing helps in recognising the limitations and challenges faced by individuals who fall outside this size range, highlighting the importance of inclusivity and diversity in the fashion industry.

It’s your clothes job to fit you, it’s not up to you to fit your clothes.

At a higher level there is responsibility of fashion labels, magazines and the media to represent body diversity within the fashion industry. Interested in more? Read these articles:

Inclusive brands to support Fashion Quarterly | 6 size-inclusive brands to know (fq.co.nz).

Embrace your personal style, regardless of your size, with this inventory of tools…

Buy:

  • Ruby

  • Erdem

  • Skims

  • Reformation

  • Videris Lingerie

  • Lost and Led Astray

Watch:

  • Embrace documentary on Netlflix

  • Queer Eye on Netflix

  • How to Look Good Naked-From 2006, but well ahead of its time! (I’ve recently re-watched on TVNZ +)

Listen:

Follow:

Tips for creating personal style:

  • Create a Pinterest board, save your favourite looks

  • Create a list on your phone of key items

  • Learn what styles and pieces make you feel good

And yes, it’s a cost-of-living crisis AND we care about the environment:

Be kind to yourself,

M x

Morgan Spittal
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