Most of you know I’ve been working really hard behind the scenes to create a course on the foundations of style. It won’t be ready until another month or so, but as it comes together more and more, I thought it’d be fun to share some thoughts that have been stirred up along the way!
For today’s post, I want to talk about why the heck I write about style in the first place. And, I’ll start with a confession.
Here’s the confession: I get kinda self-conscious when certain people find out I run a blog about personal style or that I’m creating a course about style. Specifically, I feel it with people who believe the stigma that style is superficial and just about trying to keep up with the Joneses and respond with an awkward, “Oh…” while looking down and quickly changing the subject. I want to be like, “Wait, no! Let me explain!” but the convo has already moved on. 😂🙈 I totally understand the stigma, but keeping up with the Jonses is not AT ALL why I do this. You and I know style can be about SO MUCH MORE than that!
Every week I have a meeting with the PMT team, and we start off with our mission statement: We make style easy so that every woman can feel confident in her skin and show up in the world more vibrantly and more fully herself. THIS is why I do what I do!
I started this blog in 2011 with an itch to grow my own style, but also because I saw how clothing affects person’s self-esteem. I was OBSESSED with the show What Not to Wear! Yes, because of the cute clothes and fantastic style tips 😍, but more because of the magical transformations Stacy and Clinton helped women achieve through clothing! As Stacy and Clinton helped women go through external transformations by stepping up their style, each person more notably went through major internal transformations like boosted confidence, shedding body shame, moving from low self-esteem to a better sense of self-worth, and coming out of hiding to show up in the world more vibrantly and more fully themselves. I mean, C’MON! How could you not love that?
I LOVED watching women find themselves again.
I loved that women stopped hating their bodies because they finally learned which clothes worked for them!
I loved that they wanted to come out of hiding and lit up a room with their new found confidence!
I loved that they felt empowered to tackle the world.
I loved that women started to love themselves again!
I loved every bit of it! So, forget the trends. They’re fun, but they pale in comparison. Helping women be their vibrant selves is where it’s at!
THAT is why I’ve blogged about style for almost a decade and why I’m creating a course on the foundations of style. I’ve seen how, when style is frustrating, it can eat away at women’s confidence. And I’ve seen how, when you know the foundations of style and style becomes simple, it can empower you to offer your best self to the world.
It’s so, so amazing!
I once surveyed PMTers on Instagram asking why you care about style, and I thought it’d be fun to share some of those reasons too. Here’s why your fellow PMTers care about style:
Boosts confidence. I shared this already, but I wanted to share a slightly different take. Earlier, I shared it in the context of low self-esteem. But, even if you’ve got high self-esteem, a great outfit can just put an extra pep in your step! And, sometimes dressing the part empowers me to play the part. Like, when I’ve had to walk into meetings and command a large group of people, or when I’m up on stage singing in front of a room full of 1,500 strangers, I wear sharper clothes that make me feel more commanding, bold, or ferocious. I feel more confident and empowered when I’m dressed the part, you know what I mean?
Letting the outside express how you feel on the inside. Sometimes changing your style creates confidence. And sometimes style expresses confidence you already have. It helps you feel like what you’re portraying to the world is in alignment and is congruent with who you really are on the inside.
I love this one because sometimes low self-esteem isn’t the issue. The issue may be that you are killer at your job or a kick-butt mom, but your outer appearance doesn’t portray the appropriate level of competence or authority. This is especially important at work!
Even if it isn’t about garnering authority or respect, it just feels good when what you’re showing the world is aligned with and true to who you are on the inside. Personally, when what I’m wearing feels incongruent with who I am, I feel slightly awkward and self-conscious because something just doesn’t feel right. I don’t know how else to explain it, but I just don’t feel like myself!
Communicates a bit of who you are to others. Along those lines, style is a way of connecting and relating to others. The same way a handshake communicates something about you, what you wear communicates something as well. It shows people a snapshot of you and says, “This is a bit of who I am.” Whether that’s bold, edgy, artistic, creative, smart, trustworthy, responsible, or someone who has it all together, or whatever. Your style gives people a taste of who you are.
Self-care. Many women mentioned caring about their style as a form of self-care. We show we value for things by taking good care of them. Like, we might invest time, energy, and money into taking care of our houses, cars, and other things we own. In the same way, investing in our style is a way to care for ourselves.
Those were some of the most stated reasons from PMTers on Instagram for why they care about style. Do any of these resonate with you? Do you have any to add?
Stay tuned for more upcoming blog posts like this as I continue to develop the course. The process has been fun because I have loved nerding out about the best way to teach about style. 😆 But it’s also been invigorating as it’s fueled our mission to help women show up in the world vibrantly even more!
Hey, hey! I’ve got a new FREE resource for you!
I said earlier that I’ve seen how, when style is frustrating, it can eat away at women’s confidence. But I’ve seen how, when you know the foundations of style and style becomes simple, it can empower you to offer your best self to the world. One of those “foundations” is knowing how to dress your body to its fullest potential, and the first step is to understand your body shape. So, my team and I created a workbook to help you do that!
In the course, we’ll go deeper into how to dress your body shape to its fullest potential. But for now, this workbook will give you a head start by helping you understand your body shape with measurements.
Download your copy instantly by filling out the form below! If you can’t see the form, click HERE.
