It made me want to speak more of my truth. Like many girls and women, I have struggled with body image and body confidence for most of my life. In my teen years, I battled anorexia. During all of that, I used clothes to help make myself feel better. I could draw confidence from how I expressed myself on the outside, even though I didn't always feel that way on the inside. Dressing in an aspirational manor is not a unique idea of course. There are adages like 'dress for the job you want, not the job you have', 'fake it 'till you make it', and 'look good, feel good'.
After a lot of hard work, my inside did catch up - mostly. Like everyone, I'm a work in progress who has good days and bad days. On some bad days, I wear sweatpants, and on others I dress to the nines to help lift myself up a bit. In sharing this, I hope to help lift up others. We are inundated with images of people and things that appear perfect. Remember that behind every staged photo, there is a story. Now you know part of my story, my truth.
I worry most about our young girls, like my daughter. It is my mission to make sure she does not grow up feeling the way about her body that I did. It will be even more difficult with today's social media. At home, we are focusing on confidence!!! After all, that is the best accessory. You can make anything look good when you wear it confidently.
I was thinking about why I like writing this blog, and why I like sharing my photos and thoughts on clothes. I still worry about appearing vain or narcissistic and in these times, talking about clothes feels superficial. But to put it simply, I want to help others feel beautiful. As I have grown, I know feeling beautiful truly comes from the inside, but sometimes dressing the outside can get you going in the right direction.
I've been sharing more photos on Instagram @gmrstyleshare when I can't find the time or the inspiration to write. Over the past weeks, I shared my holiday outfits, some cold weather accessories, and this amazing dress I got to wear from Rent the Runway. I certainly did feel beautiful in this dress.
