How to Feel Better About How You Look in Clothes

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Ok, this post might sound like it’s a pretty obvious life lesson, but you’d be surprised at how many people are crippled by their appearance. People ask me all the time, “How do you have the guts to post photos of yourself on your blog?”. They think it’s crazy that I’m okay with hundreds of random people starting at me via their computer screen. The truth is- it’s pretty daunting, and I’d be lying if I said that it didn’t give me anxiety. But taking the step to blog by putting my life out there on display has actually helped me with my confidence, especially in terms of how I feel about what I wear and how I look in clothes. With that being said, I figured I’d write my tips on how to feel confident in your clothes. 

Know Your Body

Not everyone wears the same size clothing for a reason- because we are all shaped differently. The key to looking good in clothing isn’t to starve yourself or stuff your bra, it’s wearing clothes that are meant for your body. For example, I’m a petite girl. I will always be short (5′ 2″) and thin- that’s just how my body shape is. It’s hard for me to shop in a lot of stores because all the pants and skirts are loose in the waist/hip area or drag on the ground. I’ve learned over the years what silhouettes, shapes, colors and brands look good on me and fit my petite shape. There are certain trends I just can’t pull off (like boyfriend jeans) because of my size, but on the other hand, there a ton of trends that look great on my shape (like peplum tops and dresses). Through trial and error, you will learn what looks good on you and what doesn’t. I find it helpful to look through magazines, Pinterest, other bloggers, and even celebrities. Find women who have a shape similar to yours and watch how they dress and mimic them. It’s the first step and a great source of inspiration!

Dress Based On What Looks Good

My biggest piece of advice is to wear what looks good on you, not what you want to look good on you. If you have a bit of a tummy, you should stay away from tight fabrics or crop tops- even if you love them and think they look great on the rack or the model. Be realistic. I see things in stores, magazines and blogs all the time that I just love, but I know it wouldn’t fit my body (or I actually try it on and then realize that indeed it does not work for me). You have to accept this and move on. No one looks good in everything. Don’t get caught up in trends or what is socially acceptable- style is about embracing yourself.

Wear Clothes With Confidence

Let me be honest with you here. I hate people looking at me. I always worry that girls are calling me anorexic and that guys are talking about how skinny my legs are. But I’ve learned the best way to feel confident is to “fake it until you make it”. I wear clothes that I love, so I enjoy the way they fit and look and that makes me happy. If you love the things you put on yourself, you’ll love yourself for wearing them! Act like you own the room. If people stare- let them stare! If they don’t even look, then they clearly aren’t paying enough attention. 😉

Taking outfit photos for my fashion posts isn’t a glamorous photoshoot. I’m so awkward at posing, I never know what to do with my hands, and sometimes my clothes look wrinkled or a bra strap shows through. But as long as I flash a smile and feel good about what I’m wearing, that’s all that matters. The amazing, sweet comments I get on my blog has increased my confidence so much. I never used to be a hat girl, for example. Then I posted some photos wearing new winter hats I received and it made me want to wear them more. Now I’m officially a girl who likes wearing hats! Who knew?

The bottom line is that feeling good about how you look in clothes takes a bit of practice. What are your tips for feeling better about how you look in clothes? 

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43 Comments

  1. I think wearing clothes that fit is soo important and can make a huge difference in how they look on someone!

  2. I agree – find the shapes that work best for your body and understand that you and going to have to forgo some trends!

  3. Blogging has totally boosted my confidence, I also agree about knowing you’re body and learning to dress for it.
    Ginny

  4. finding clothes that work for your body is SO important. my chest is on the larger side for my frame so i can’t always wear strapless tops or low cut things and i do my best to downplay my chest so it’s not the first thing people notice 🙂 i am hoping to start posting outfit photos of myself soon, so i really appreciate your feedback! it will help me to be more confident sharing photos of myself!

  5. I agree that the first step is to figure out what works for you. There are several styles I always want to wear but have realized that they just don’t work for me, and that is okay!

  6. I totally agree that you have to figure out what works for you. Just because something doesn’t look great doesn’t mean that all clothes look horrible! It just means you have to look for a style that works with your body.
    xo Dina

  7. Oh great advice! I think knowing your own body and what looks good in it is what gets most people. Adding the confidence does go a long way.

  8. these suggestions are spot-on!

    unfortunately, not every style works for every body type. i’m small too, and often find that i’m swimming in certain styles.

    i’m still experimenting and finding out what fits me best, but it’s a fun process.

  9. what a great post. I feel like it took me way to long to realize that I have to wear clothes that look good on me not clothes that I want to look good on me. I just naturally love clothes that aren’t made for my body type so I feel like that was a tough thing for me to get.

  10. This is such great advice Rachel and I think a lot of people have a problem with this — myself included. I LOVE keeping up with trends and what not but sometimes I JUST can’t pull certain things off. And I never will be able to, even if I did stop eating. I just have a big bone structure and there is just no way things would look good on me. For example… a crop top + cut off shorts. I’ve seen a ton of bloggers do it and pull it off flawlessly. I am one of those people who has to choose what skin I show, I have a small waist but thicker legs/big calves, so it makes more sense for me to wear a crop top with a maxi skirt, not denim cutoffs and wedged sneakers EVEN THOUGH I LOVE the way that looks!

  11. Love this post! I think I’m continually learning what looks good on me and what doesn’t, and it’s true that a great fit really can make a difference!

  12. So true, if you feel good in what you’re wearing, it shows!

    And it’s definitely daunting taking outfit photos…I live on a busy street and still hate to know the cars going by are looking. Hah!

  13. I definitely agree with you! You have to wear what you look good in, and not all the trends are flattering on everyone!

  14. Everyone says “know the trends that look good on you” but I’m… totally at a loss of HOW to know what looks good on my body? 🙁 Help?
    Sincerely,
    Clothing clueless

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