Where What You Want- Sarah Vance!
How to break the rules of flattery, and where what you want.
You can’t go through the check out at the grocery store without some ridiculous magazine picking apart other people’s style and fashion. Best dressed vs. worst dressed. If it isn’t an article picking apart women for their appearance – shocking, right? – it is an article that is telling you what is in for this season as far as fashion. Also equally shocking, right?
Slowly we begin to digest these rules of fashion and apply them to our own self. We begin asking ourselves: is this flattering to my figure? We avoid horizontal stripes, we make sure nothing is hugging our curves, we shy away from something if it makes us too “frumpy” all in the name of: flattery.
Let’s be honest here. The real truth around flattery in mainstream ideals is to hide our bodies, and create an illusion that is more in line with society’s narrow ideal. Flattery is the name of the game in choosing things that slim us down, tuck us in, or cinch our waist. It is a way of shrinking – yet again – our bodies. This isn’t the same as using flattery in the form of accentuating our curves and taking up space, because I am all for that. However, when most people say flattering it is all about the continued quest for smallness.
To that I say: eff flattery. Our bodies are more than worthy to show up in all their glory.
What would it mean to you if you gave up the quest for looking “flattering”, and just wore whatever the heck you wanted? Would that change things at all for you?
The old ideal of flattery is very much anti-body and anti-acceptance. What does this say to ourselves when we are making attempts to hide or shrink our bodies? It is automatically a vote to continue upholding the idea that our bodies are not good enough as they are.
The best fashion advice I could even attempt to give someone is: Where what you want. Break the rules. If you like it – rock it. Rebel against flattery, and advocate for your own fashion.
