The Complicated Relationship Between Body Image & Style

Women today are bombarded with digitally modified images of what is considered to be ideal, then when we don’t match up it’s easy to feel inadequate. As a result, our style often gets neglected, deemed unworthy of our attention if we’re not feeling great about what's going on in our minds with our body or looks. This can seemingly be an isolating experience; staring into the mirror, your clothes scattered around you, feeling as if you have nothing to wear that looks “right”, but it’s one that pretty much every woman can relate to. Our specific insecurities may differ, but we all have them.

Do you empathise or find yourself doing any of the below?

When a woman is feeling good about herself, she tends to be more adventurous with her style, just as when she is feeling not so great about herself or her body, she tends to dress more subtly, as if to blend in.

A woman with a negative body image tends to wear bigger clothes because she is uncomfortable with her body even when she knows that oversized clothes just makes her look even larger.

When a woman feels confident with her style she is more likely to experiment with colour and shapes, trying new things but empowered to say no which can be as beneficial as knowing what does work for her. When lacking in body confidence she often sticks to clothes that are "comfy" and not tight fitting and more relaxed in styling rather than structured.

We could say that this whole subject is fickle and we as a society should not be so judgemental both to ourselves and others simply by appearances but wearing clothes for adornment and self-expression has existed in the human race since 5000BC.

By celebrating that we are all different and accepting the body shape you have, style, looking and feeling good is attainable to all who choose to learn how.

Stylish Wishes