The truth is, we evolve everyday through the lessons and events that unfold for us daily. In some ways, who we are today isn't going to be who we are tomorrow...and the same goes with our style. Our style goes through a transformation as we change.
While our style is generally a reflection of our current identity, it's important to note that clothing serves a purpose in our life beyond superficiality. It's a tool that supports our many personas that enables us to move through our days and show up the best way possible to those around us.
Some of us use fashion consciously and deliberately to effectively embody a persona (depending on the role we're playing in the given moment) without any attachment to clothing while some of us use it similarly, but with attachment to clothing as a way of feeling seen, valued, and accepted - a mask to hide feelings of inferiority. If the latter resonates with you, ask yourself whether your style is truly a representation of your authentic self or someone else's?
Unconscious style is using clothing to mask feelings of shame or poor body image. This may look like someone who hides behind their clothes in efforts to be unseen without realizing how it's slowly chipping away at their self-esteem, impacting their health, relationships, and career. If this resonates, it's an invitation to go inward and identify the root of the shame in order to heal and change the narrative.
After a few times styling and working with women, it became apparent that clothing had a profound or deeper symbolic meaning to many. Clothing was either empowering or disempowering, depending on their conditioning and past experiences with it. The beautiful thing, however, was the realization that as women, regardless of our backgrounds, age, and race, we shared similar experiences and emotions around the impact of clothing in our lives.
Does trying on or shopping for clothes empower or disempower you?